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You are here: Home / South African products / Amarula – South Africa in a bottle

Amarula – South Africa in a bottle

by Jeanne Horak on September 9, 2007 8 Comments in South African products

amarula-bottle

Hands up – who’s had a Springbokkie?

No, I’m not looking for some juicy revelation about James Small’s alleged extra-curricular activities or (even less) a discussion analogous to the one about Australian sheep farmers and their relationship with their sheep…!  And despite the start of the World Cup, this is not going to be a post about rugby.  No, I’m talking about those delicious yet lethal little short drinks in the Springbok colours of green and gold.

When people talk about South African booze, they usually go on at length about our vineyards, our progressive and historic winemaking industry, vintages, cultivars, terroir and the like.  Or they launch into a misty-eyed anecdote involving a rugby matchm Castle lager and some of the manne.  But I think a springbokkie is a far better metaphor for the country and its people.  It’s short and to the point.  It feels vaguely patriotic.  It can kick like a mule if you don’t respect it.  But basically somewhere in there is a very sweet layer.

So what’s in this drink?  Well, it’s basically a shot glass with crème de menthe in the bottom and a magical elixir called Amarula Cream floated on top.  Amarula cream is one of those rare pleasures – a truly South African liqueur (the other one that springs to mind being Van der Hum, made from naartjies).  It is made from the fruit of the marula tree; that is, the tree made famous by Jamie Uys’s in his classic movie Beautiful People, which showed drunkenly staggering elephants and baboons who had supposedly eaten the fallen and fermented marula fruit at the foot of a tree.  The reality is a lot less amusing – because of the low alcohol content in even fully fermented fruit, it would take more fruit to make an elephant drunk than could possibly be consumed from a lone tree.  And apparently baboons prefer the fresh fruit to the fermented ones, meaning that there is a good chance the animals were made to look drunk by using some sort of tranquiliser, which would today be classed as animal cruelty

But that does not change the fact that the marula tree is a revered plant in southern Africa. (Some studies show that the cutting down of marula trees is an indicator of the degree of distress that a community is suffering – they are usually the last trees to be cut down for firewood.)  The skin of the fruit can be boiled to make a drink or burnt to be used as a substitute for coffee. The wood is soft and used for carving; the inner bark can be used to make rope.  The bark contains antihistamines and can be for cleansing by steeping in boiling water and inhaling the steam. The bark can also be crushed into a pulp, mixed with cold water and swallowed in the treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea, and can be used as an anti-malarial measure.

Marula trees are dioecious, which means they have a specific sex. This fact contributes to the belief among the Venda that bark infusions can be used to determine the sex of an unborn child. If a woman wants a son the male tree is used, and for a daughter, the female tree. If the child of the opposite sex is born, the child is said to be very special as it was able to defy the spirits.

Inside the fruit are one or two seeds that are rich in protein and contain oil that can be used as a cosmetic.  And then, of course there are the fruits.  They are approximately the size of small plums and yellow in colour, and are packed with Vitamin C.  When they ripen they are avidly collected by all those living near the tree and either eaten fresh, made into jams or fermented into alcohol, including Amarula Cream liqueur.

It’s wonderful drunk on its own over crushed ice, poured over ice cream, or used to flavour sauces or desserts requiring alcohol. And of course, you can always make Springbokkies…

With or without creme de menthe, it truly is the spirit of South Africa.

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  1. african vanielje says

    September 10, 2007 at 12:26 am

    I love amarula Jeanne. Have long ago run out of that and van der hum, which makes truly unique ‘Irish’ (except not) coffees. It makes fantastic icecream as well, with a sweet cream base. Thank you for reminding me.

    Reply
  2. Rosemary says

    September 10, 2007 at 12:18 pm

    Hands up for the springbokkie! Something that is truly South African that we can be proud of – like your blog!

    Reply
  3. neil says

    September 11, 2007 at 12:30 am

    We do what to sheep?!!! That’s too funny because we accuse Kiwis of the same thing, they must be talking about you the same way…poor sheep. I’ve tried Amarula cream and it is quite nice, not sure about the creme de menthe though, but that’s just a personal thing.

    Reply
  4. Gill says

    September 12, 2007 at 6:06 pm

    Love Amarula – and I am one of the lucky ones who can nip down to the bottle store for a bottle – one of the perks of living in good ol’ S.A!

    Reply
  5. Charlotte says

    September 13, 2007 at 4:41 pm

    I’ve never had a Springbokkie (clearly I’ve not lived), but I do love a spot of Amarula. Double yum.

    Reply
  6. ilva says

    September 13, 2007 at 5:18 pm

    But what does it taste like? and is it possible to find outside SA? I’m really curious now!

    Reply
  7. Pille says

    September 13, 2007 at 5:34 pm

    I never had a chance to try it in the UK, although I wanted to. I’ll look around – maybe I can find it in Estonia..

    Reply
  8. M&Ms says

    September 18, 2007 at 1:29 pm

    Amarula is wonderful! Only discovered it since moving to London. It makes other cream liquers pale in comparison…well, guess it’s a new taste for me and am still gushing over it. Baileys is soo out 🙂

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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