The Sacred Gatsby: A taste of Cape Town's heritage
A full house steak Gatsby topped with egg and cheese.
Image: Facebook/The Gatsby Society
As we kick off Heritage Month across South Africa, there are many things to celebrate as a nation, and one of the most beloved street foods includes a gatsby.
Cape Town has a large variety of exquisite restaurants and celebrates a diverse food culture, but there is simply nothing quite like the gatsby.
Traditionally, a gatsby is a French loaf that has been sliced in half and has salad (lettuce, onions, and tomatoes) spread across. It is then lathered in a bed of slap chips (potato fries) as well as a protein such as steak, masala steak, chicken, polony, or viennas, and finally, a sauce. Cheese and egg can be added as extras.
A gatsby is usually cut into four, and while it may be a messy eat, with chips and protein falling all over, it will definitely have you licking your fingers for more.
An end slice of a chicken Gatsby.
Image: Facebook/The Gatsby Society
While a gatsby can be found across South Africa, there is this unwritten rule that the best ones are made in Cape Town.
Across Cape Town, a gatsby can be found at nearly every fast food outlet, and most gatsbys from different outlets compete for bragging rights.
Every Capetonian has their ‘spot’ to which they are loyal, and which they claim has the ‘best gatsbys’. Most households also purchase gatsby weekly, either to give the home cook a break or to attempt to make it homemade, as it's a filling meal enjoyed by the entire family.
There is even a Facebook page called The Gatsby Society, which is dedicated to the love of this legendary local meal.
This page, with over 116,000 members, is where people from all over (not only Cape Town) rate gatsbys, call out those who ‘disrespect’ the sacred gatsby, or simply want to share their love of a vuil dite.
A vuil dite is a colloquial term used to describe having a fast food meal that can be opened up and shared on a vehicle bonnet, enjoyed with an ice-cold cool drink or juice with great company.
The gatsby has been a Cape Town staple since the early 1970s, and while there have been some people who have tried to ‘evolve’ the delicious go-to meal, it has been short-lived, as the tradition of the gatsby shall not dare be disrespected by any chef, broadcaster, or foodie.
So, while change is welcomed in all aspects of our lives, some things are better left as is because eating a gatsby will open your taste buds to years of tradition, you never knew existed.
IOL