If Littlegig is not on your radar yet, we’re here to tell you that the festival landscape in South Africa has just stumbled down the rabbit hole to emerge in a topsy-turvy wonderland that reeks of Lewis Carol, the Brothers Grimm and JR Tolkien all rolled into one.
In short, it’s a gloriously decadent 24-hour affair that gathers some of the foremost South African and international chefs, artists, musicians and pretty-thing-makers in one spot.
If that description alone doesn’t wet your whistle you’re clearly in dire need of a hug or a nice stiff drink, but just to sprinkle on some more fairy dust, here’s the kicker – this year’s festival featured the alchemy of world-renowned Danish chef Rasmus Munk.
Who on earth is Rasmus Munk?
Only a 25-year old gastronomic prodigy who has surpassed molecular cuisine trailblazers like Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adria with the trademark 45-course meals he serves at his Copenhagen restaurant, Alchemist – no biggie. Jokes, it’s actually a pretty big deal. This guy is unflinching and serves food that is meant to illicit conversation. Think silky sweetbreads secreted away in a lamb’s skull that diners have to crack open to get to the goods, and phosphorescent broth in a syringe that speaks to the effect that over-medication is having on agriculture and our society. It’s freaking foodie theatre and we love it!
What did he get up to at Littlegig 2017?
Munk served a mind-blowing 11-course meal to 40 spellbound diners who pre-booked the optional event on top of their Littlegig experience. It ran from 19:30 until the witching hour and Munk’s awe-struck audience was treated to a variety of inspired morsels that wove a delicate web of sensory deception; rare and wonderful combinations conjured from seemingly innocuous ingredients like bone marrow, yogurt, mint, olive and sea salt. To give you an idea of the strange new culinary depths that were plumbed – there was a dish called Ash Tray that was inspired by his beloved grandmother’s battle with lung cancer.
Why didn’t I know this was happening?!
Dude, we feel you. A beautifully curated event like Littlegig takes a veritable age to plan and execute, so the next one will unfortunately only roll around in 2018. We’ll make a point of reminding you with plenty of time to spare and in the meantime you can also check out the Littlegig website if you’re keen to suffer some more retrospective FOMO.
Keep your eye on Eatsplorer Magazine to make sure that you know about this kind of awesome food alchemy ahead of time so you can book your spot!
Photography: Kleinjan Groenewald / Writing: Anna-Bet Stemmet
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