Bokkoms

Bokkoms(orbokkems) is whole, salted and driedmullet(more specifically the Southern mullet,Chelon richardsonii, a type of fish commonly known in the Western Cape of South Africa as "harders"),and is a well-known delicacy from theWest Coastregion of South Africa. This salted fish is dried in the sun and wind and is eaten after peeling off the skin. In some cases it is alsosmoked. It is sometimes referred to as "fishbiltong".
The wordbokkomcomes from theDutchwordbokkem, which is a variant of the wordbokking(orbuckincinMiddle Dutch).The wordbokkingis derived from the wordbok(the Dutch word forbuckorgoat) and refers to the fact that bokkoms reminds of goat, because bokkoms has the same shape as the horns of a goat, is just as hard as a goat's horns, and stinks just as much as the horn of a goat (goats have scent glands behind their horns that cause the smell).The first official record of the use of the word in theAfrikaanslanguage of South Africa was in thePatriotwoordeboekin 1902 in the formbokkom.
As early as 1658, only six years after the first permanent settlement of Europeans at the Cape of Good Hope, fourfree burgherswere given permission to settle inSaldanha Bayon the West Coast of Southern Africa. They were given the right from theDutch East India Companyto fish the waters of Saldanha Bay and send their catches to the company's trading post at theCape of Good Hope, to be sold to other burghers as well as to passing ships inTable Bay. They had sole rights to the lucrative fishing until 1711. One fifth of the catch had to be delivered in salted and dried form, which was the origins ofbokkomsin South Africa.
The ingredients for bokkoms consist of small (juvenile)mullet(fish), coarse salt and fresh water. The originalWest Coastway of preparing bokkoms starts with catching the small (juvenile)mullets(called "harders" inAfrikaans). A large square tank built out of bricks orstoneis filled with a strongpicklemade of around 50 kg of coarse salt and fresh water, to which the fish is added. As soon as enough fish is added to reach the top of the tank, two or threespadesfull of dry coarse salt is spread on top of the fish. Thereafter more layers of fish and salt are put on top until all the fish is covered in salt. A thick layer of salt is added to the top. This is left for one day. On the second day, a press made with wood with weights on top, is placed on the fish in the tank. The purpose of the press is to ensure that the guts of the fish is pressed flat so that it does not go bad. After the third day in the tank, the fish is taken out and is then stringed up in bunches of 10 to 25 fish each on a rope, making use of a fish needle which is pushed through the eyes of the fish. The bunches are then dipped 2 to 3 times in fresh water, before they are hung onscaffoldsto dry.
The most suitable circumstances for drying is a lot of wind and not too harsh sunlight. At nighttime, the fish is brought under a roof to prevent it from drawing in damp, and the next day it is taken outside again to hang in the sun. The whole drying process takes about 5 days. More recently, people have started to make use of drying "ovens". This consists of a closed room with an electrical fan, in which the fish is hung. The fan blows heated air into the room. This simplifies the drying process considerably, since the fish does not need to be moved indoors every evening. This also allows drying to take place during the wetter winter months.
Bokkoms is a delicacy typical to theWestern Capeof South Africa, and specifically theWest Coast. Although it has a significant market in the Western Cape (where it is very popular and can be found in hotels, bars, bottle stores (in UK: off-licence), fish shops and beach kiosks on the beaches and holiday resorts), it has not been able to become a common product in the larger part of Southern African butcheries, fisheries and grocery stores likebiltonghas. It is, however, available for ordering and shipping through the internet in vacuum packed format.
There is a vibrant bokkom industry in the "bokkom capital" of the world,Velddrif, on the West Coast of South Africa.Around 95% of South Africa's bokkoms are produced inVelddrif, in a series of small individual factories located along theBerg river.Each factory has its own smalljettyon the river at the front of the factory. In the past, large schools ofmulletwas caught in the river and the jetties were used as a place to tie the fishermen's "bakkies" (small boats) to unload their catch. Because of over-fishing, the catching ofmulletin the river is now prohibited and it must be netted in the open sea just offLaaiplek.
Velddrifis the ideal place for the bokkom industry. It has access to themulletjust off the coast, its weather conditions are ideal for drying the fish (dry summers and relatively low rainfall), and it has access to huge amounts of sea salt as spring tide pushes the sea over the extensive salt pans (the largest salt factory in South Africa where salt is extracted from sea water, theCerebossalt factory, is also situated there).It also has access to fresh water in the form of theBerg river. It is thus no co-incidence that the bokkom industry originated and still continue to be situated in Velddrif. The well-known "Bokkomlaan" (Bokkom avenue) along the banks of the Berg river inVelddrifis a place where tourists can see large numbers of bokkoms strung up in bunches on rows of reed scaffolds along the side of the road.
Bokkoms is a unique, traditional delicacy of theWest Coastof South Africa. It is best enjoyed withwhite wine, or with bread,apricot jamand black coffee, but can also be used in soups and spaghetti's, tapenades, ragout or just as a bite on its own.
There has been concern raised over declining fish stocks on the West Coast of South Africa.The Southern mullet is on theWWFSouthern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) Orange listas an unsustainable species.This group includes species that have associated reasons for concern, either because the species is depleted as a result ofoverfishingand cannot sustain current fishing pressure, or because the fishing or farming method poses harm to the environment and/or the biology of the species makes it vulnerable to high fishing pressure. These species may be legally sold by registered commercial fishers and retailers. However, an increased demand for these could compromise a sustainable supply.
The wordbokkomshas been taken up in theAfrikaanslanguage in at least threeproverbs:
It has also been used as the name for a specific family of plants with sharpseedpodsfound in South Africa. These plants have been given the name of bokkoms inAfrikaansbecause the seedpods look like bokkoms, and their unpleasant smell reminds of the strong fish smell of bokkoms.
Bokkoms are similar todried herring, as well asbloaters,kippersandbuckling. Bloaters (whole fish), kippers (split) and buckling (head and guts removed) are all lightly salted andsmokedfor a short period of time. Although the method for making bokkoms probably originated from the European method of making driedherring, bokkoms use a different species of fish (themullet) and do not regularly make use of smoking in preparation of the delicacy.
Foods that are similar to bokkoms include: