Mrs F. C. Synge Discusses South African Dishes

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28794, 15 January 1959, Page 2

Mrs F. C. Synge Discusses South African Dishes

The thought of living among a crowd of male students does not daunt Mrs Eunice Synge, wife of the new principal of Christchurch College (the Rev. Canon F. C. Synge). \ “I grew up in a family of boys; I’m used to them,” she said yesterday, her first day in Christchurch. Canon Synge and Mrs Synge have come from George, a small cathedral town half way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. “George is what I would call an ‘elderly* town, with a large proportion of its residents living in retirement, including many people who went there from India because they did not want to go back to the cold English climate. Young people who want to progress in their chosen fields go to the big cities as soon as they leave school,” sne said. Church Affairs Canon Synge was Dean of the Diocese of George and there his wife took an active part in church affairs, such as helping to run bazaars to raise funds for the maintenance of the cathedral. She was enrolling member of the

Mothers’ Union in George and a member of the union’s diocesan executive council As a housewife, running the home was of primary importance and even when she had help in the kitchen Mrs Synge liked to do her own cooking. South African-born, Mrs Synge enjoyed making South African dishes which bear the impact of the country’s history. Many South African recipes Include dried, pickled and spiced meats, an influence of the Voortrekkers, who had to devise ways of keeping meat on long journeys. Biltong, heavily salted slabs of dried meat such as wild game, beef or ostrich was a tasty example for a supper dish served in strips with bread and butter, she said. Malayan Influence Malayan slaves brought to the country have also left their mark on the country’s cuisine. Babootie, curried minced meat baked with an egg topping and served with rice, coloured yellow with spice, and raisins, comes into this category. Babootie is served with vegetables or salad. Salads and vegetables are an important part of the diet in South Africa. Fruit is plentiful and is teamed up with lettuce to make nutritious salads, which may include sliced bananas, pawpaws, oranges, guavas, pineapple, grated apple and garnished with nasturtium leaves. Sometimes as many as six vegetables are served with pot-roasted meat (the most popular way of cooking it) on South African farms. Before her marriage Mrs Synge was a book-keeper in a Johannesburg office, then began training for midwifery. “I have always loved babies and while still a trainee midwife I decided on a course in pediatrics, before which I would have needed to do general nursing training,” she said. But her marriage put an end to that idea. Mrs Synge’s interest in child and infant welfare has not waned and yesterday she expressed a keen interest in the Plunket Socity of New Zealand. "I understand the founder of this , society. Sir Truby King, started the mothercraft training centre in Cape Town,” Mrs Synge said.