A tribute to Cass Abrahams
Cookbook author, chef and pioneer Cass Abrahams has passed away at the age of 83. She was laid to rest on 9 August 2026.
Born in Johannesburg, Cass was the daughter of a French mother and a Xhosa-German father. She famously met her husband while hitchhiking in Cape Town and began her cooking education after marrying into the Cape Malay community, where family recipes were closely guarded. Sheer determination, and an irresistible charm, saw her master Cape Malay cooking and become its representative, carving out a niche for herself in apartheid South Africa’s food industry.
In an interview with TASTE in 2016, Cass spoke about how hard it was for her to be accepted into her in-law’s family and how, initially, people would give her recipes without the key ingredient. “I’d follow the recipe and it would taste awful, and I’d start over, again and again, until the dish tasted similar to theirs or even better. So, as time went on, they started asking me how I made my versions.”
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Her chicken biryani, bobotie, bredie and pickled fish recipes were legendary.
“The hardest Cape Malay dish to master is the perfect breyani. It’s never stirred, it’s always in separate layers, the rice and lentils aren’t overdone, the meat and potatoes are cooked to perfection – all by just steaming it on the stove. The whole point of the exercise is that when you turn it over onto a platter, you see the beautiful layers with that delicious, crusty brown, spicy layer of rice on top. There’s nothing better than eating that crust.”
She published three bestselling cookbooks, opened two restaurants, taught at top culinary schools, and cooked for luminaries including Nelson Mandela.
In 2023, as part of an article about young South African chefs to watch, Cass named Zola Nene as a star on the rise. "I met Zola when she was a student at The Institute of Culinary Arts…I thought, ‘this girl is going to go far’. And she just keeps rising!"
Tributes have poured in from the industry.
“I heard about Cass’s passing on Women’s Day – what a day to remember our spice queen. I will always remember her passion and commitment to preserving Cape Malay food heritage. Tonight we are celebrating your life with your famous bobotie. Fly with the food angels, Cass.” – Abigail Donnelly
“Cass Abrahams counts as one of the food writers/chefs who must be remembered for making komvandaankos, and more specifically Cape Malay cooking, part of the South African food narrative. Cass was never simply preserving recipes. She was reclaiming space. At a time when the food, stories and contributions of people of colour were routinely undervalued, she insisted that Cape Malay and people of colour’s food belonged at the heart of South Africa’s culinary identity. She understood that food is political: it carries the history of slavery, displacement, resilience, faith and survival. By documenting and celebrating the recipes of our mothers and grandmothers, she challenged whose knowledge was considered worthy of being recorded. Her legacy is not just delicious food; it is the affirmation that our stories, our kitchens and our culture matter and cannot be erased. She certainly was instrumental in my own ‘history-via-food’ activist journey. Salaam, Tietie.” – Ingrid Jones, journalist and editor
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“Cass Abrahams: what a wonderful person and someone who really changed the way I think about food. She was a true example of how cultures can merge. She came from a Christian background, converted to Islam, and merged those cultures. I was always welcome in her kitchen – she taught me a lot about spices and balancing flavour. I still remember the first time I sat at her table at Waterblommetjie at the Castle of Good Hope. For the first time I tasted the real bobotie, the real koesister and what well-balanced food tastes like. She was a person with a real heart of kindness and caring. Thank you for the legacy you left behind, Cass. And thank you for showing me that food can be the one thing that brings people together. It doesn’t matter what culture or religion you come from, food is binding. And that’s what the world needs right now.” – Herman Lensing, editor of Sarie Kos
“South Africa has lost one of its greatest custodians of culinary heritage. Cass was a truly remarkable woman whose strength, generosity and unwavering belief in South Africa and our rich culinary heritage was a powerful inspiration. She fiercely championed the stories, traditions and flavours of the Cape Malay community, with immense pride and authenticity when many looked elsewhere for inspiration. Thank you, Cass, for showing us the importance of celebrating our roots and for leaving South African gastronomy richer because of your life's work.” – Margot Janse, chef and founder of Isabelo charity
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“Cass Abrahams shared her deep knowledge of Cape Malay cooking and the rich traditions of the Cape Malay community so freely. She taught us how to use spices like no one else, showing us how to layer flavour, toast and blend spices, and understand the story behind every fragrant dish. I first met Cass as a young ICA chef’s school student, when she taught us the recipes she loved so dearly. From comforting boeber to fragrant curries, sambals, rotis and samoosas.
Later, I was fortunate enough to spend my internship working alongside her. We stood side by side cooking for incredible events at places such as Vergelegen, celebrating the ‘rainbow cuisine’ that emerged in those hopeful years after Nelson Mandela’s release. We made hundreds of samoosas and rotis, rolling, folding and slapping the dough together to create those delicious, flaky layers that are the perfect foil for a rich curry.
I can still see Cass standing over enormous pots on gas burners, carefully layering her breyanis, something only she could do quite like that. Then came the lifting of the lids and that unforgettable cloud of perfume: rice, spice and tender lamb all mingling together.
Through it all, she taught us about the traditions of the Cape Malay people and generously shared her knowledge, recipes and wisdom. Over the years we would meet again at restaurants she ran or at media events, and I was always greeted with the same warmth.
Her legacy lives on in every one of us who cooks her recipes, shares her knowledge and carries forward the life lessons she gave so freely.
Thank you, Cass. Your warmth, wisdom and the fragrance of your spices will stay with me always.” – Vicki Sleet, writer and editor
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“Cass has been a stalwart of SA culinary culture for as far back as I can remember, the mere mention of her name conjures up delicious thoughts of generously spiced feasts. Her passing undoubtedly leaves a void in the SA food world, but her gentle spirit and celebration of Cape Malay flavours will forever live on through her recipe books and the beautiful memories she shared with us.” – Zola Nene, cookbook author, content creator and recipe developer
“Cass Abrahams did such valuable work, documenting recipes from her husband’s grandmother’s generation. She was a pioneer of Cape Malay recipe book publishing and, thanks to her, we have many recipes that might otherwise have been lost. She’s an inspiration to me, personally, and I hope we can continue her work at TASTE.” – Katharine Pope, head of content at TASTE
"Cass was an absolute icon and will be sorely missed in the Cape Malay community. I would like to honour her by keeping the stove on and teaching the next generation. I will keep her legacy alive, one dish at a time, and one meal at a time. ❤️🤲🏽 Rest softly Aunty Cass. 🤲🏽 – Fayruza Abrahams, Cape Malay cooking teacher and TASTE contributor
"Aunty Cass was a woman who paved the way for many of us. She worked hard, she built community, she smiled harder and she drew everyone in, with her food, her love and her dedication. She will be dearly missed. ♥️" – Fehmida Jordaan, content creator, recipe book author and TASTE contributor
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