How to Incorporate Coffee into your Heritage Day!
Heritage Day has taken on the unofficial title of “National Braai Day” in South Africa’; braai’ing is firmly entrenched in our history – it’s a uniquely South African tradition that brings families and friends together.
Have you ever thought of incorporating coffee into this tradition? I bet not. South Africa is not known for coffee production at all, but that doesn’t mean the African continent as a whole should be excluded! Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya are some of the largest coffee-growing regions throughout the world.
Here are a few interesting tips on how you can incorporate coffee into your upcoming Heritage Day celebration!
Use ground coffee (that has not been used already) as a meat-rub. Rubbing coffee into your meat helps to soften the meat, and brings a smoky, rich flavour about. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s worth a shot!
Make a pitcher of dairy-free iced coffee for to accompany your braai. Brew yourself a pot of plain old filter coffee and freeze it into ice cubes. Place the frozen cubes inside some coconut water and you’ll have a flavour explosion made of happiness and refreshment happening right inside your mouth!
Take an old stocking and fill it up with coffee grounds (fresh coffee grounds). Place this in your fridge – especially before you out that egg-mayo salad with fresh onion in your fridge. The coffee grounds will help to absorb those smells in the fridge, so you won’t be overwhelmed with a blast of fresh egg each time you open the door.
Clean your grit-riddled pots and pans with coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are quite abrasive, so removing grime from a pot is quite easy. It might not work on a braai, but a griddle system might still be able to adapt this method and use it to its advantage.
For the ladies; use ground coffee to exfoliate your face! You’re probably going to be spending a lot of time in the sun this Heritage Day, so make sure you exfoliate before going out. Add some sunscreen and you’re set to have radiant skin all day!
Lastly, if you’re going to have some other traditionally South African treats around on the day – like sticky, sweet koeksisters or peppermint fridge tart, put a ring of ground coffee around where these dishes are placed (if they are outside or atop a counter). This is a safe, organic way to repel ants, so that they don’t ruin your treats.
What other coffee tricks do you have?