| Skilpadjies | |
| Alternate Name: | Afrikaans: muise, Afrikaans: vlermuise and Afrikaans: pofadder |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Creators: | --> |
| Type: | Braai (Barbecue) |
| Main Ingredient: | lamb, caul fat, coriander, chopped onion, salt and Worcestershire sauce |
| Serving Size: | 100 g |
Skilpadjies is a traditional South African food, also known by other names such as Afrikaans: muise and Afrikaans: vlermuise.
The dish is lamb's liver wrapped in Afrikaans: netvet (caul fat), which is the fatty membrane that surrounds the kidneys. Most cooks mince the liver, add coriander, chopped onion, salt and Worcestershire sauce then wrap balls of this mixture with the Afrikaans: netvet and secure it with a toothpick. The balls, approximately 80mm in diameter, are normally barbecued (grilled over an open fire) and ready when the fat is crisp.
Dishes such as skilpadjies had already been made by the ancient Romans[1] and the German recipe for calf's liver in caul fat appears in the book "Das Buoch von guoter Spise".[2]
The names Afrikaans: skilpadjie (little tortoise), Afrikaans: muise (mice), Afrikaans: vlermuise (bats) and Afrikaans: pofadder (puff adder) reflect its appearance. Afrikaans: Pofadder is the largest version, the size of a man's forearm. It is made from minced lamb's liver wrapped in a large piece of Afrikaans: netvet, and is usually served at parties where about 8 to 10 servings can be sliced from one Afrikaans: pofadder when grilled.
It is a very rich, high cholesterol and fatty food; the consumers normally eat some starchy food in the form of mealie pap or toasted bread with the skilpadjies, so as not to attract some symptoms of over-indulgence.