If there’s one chef in SA who knows a thing or two about water-wise cooking, it’s Kobus van der Merwe, who owns and runs Wolfgat in Paternoster on the West Coast. The food he dishes up at the seaside restaurant is largely from the area, which is dry at the best of times. Van der Merwe uses endemic wild edibles and seaweed in his cooking, as these need very little in the way of fresh water. "Samphires, for example," he says, referring to halophytes, or plants that grow naturally in highly saline water. "We use them in our cooking and I see that Woolies is selling them now. They’re even being cultivated in southern Namibia to be used for biofuel." Seaweed in particular is a great year-round water-wise option, and if you have a recreational fishing permit, you’re allowed to pick it.
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