waterblommetjie, noun

/ˈvɑːtə(r)ˌblɔməki/, /ˈvɑːtə(r)ˌblɔməci/
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, literally ‘little water flower’, water water + blom flower + diminutive suffix -ie.
a. The edible water plant Aponogeton distachyos of the Aponogetonaceae, which occurs naturally in the Western Cape during the spring, and is prized in cooking; blommetjie sense 2; Cape pondweed, see Cape sense 2 a; waterblom (sense a); wateruintjie sense a. Also attributive.
1950 [see sense b].
1964 L.G. Green Old Men Say 122I used to see the coloured women picking the waterblommetjies in the Diep River.
1975 S. Afr. Panorama Dec. 18Waterblommetjie (Aponogeton distachys) — water-flowers — are found on the marshes of the Cape Flats.
1980 Fair Lady 7 May 195When fresh waterblommetjies appeared on the shelves of our village co-op I couldn’t wait to get my fork into them.
1983 Sunday Times 18 Sept. (Mag. Sect.) 8The restaurant..has a variety of waterblommetjie dishes on its menu.
1993 Flying Springbok Apr. 121Blanch one kilogram of waterblommetjies in boiling salted water.
1994 G. Bisseker in Weekend Post 8 Jan. (Leisure) 6Waterblommetjies fulfil the function of a vegetable in bredie, but their taste is rather bland.
b. combination
waterblommetjie bredie /-ˌbriːdi/, /-ˌbrɪədi/ [Afrikaans, bredie see bredie], a stew of meat and waterblommetjies; wateruintjie bredie, see wateruintjie sense b.
1950 H. Gerber Cape Cookery 87Wateruintjie (Waterblommetjie) Bredie. 2 soup plates of waterblommeties (Aponogeton), plucked from their stalks.
1971 Argus 29 JuneCape waterblommetjie bredie...1 to 1½kg mutton chops, or thick rib; 2 medium onions, sliced; 2 big bunches of waterblommetjies picked when blooms are open; [etc.].
1980 Fair Lady 7 May 195In the Cape, however, just mention that waterblommetjie bredie is a con, a disappointment, even (like some I have tasted) a disaster and people start wondering about your forebears, your passport and your eligibility for the voters’ roll.
1990 M. Van Biljon in Your Family Oct. 178Our national food is neither waterblommetjiebredie nor braaivleis; it’s tomato sandwiches or frikkadels.
The edible water plant Aponogeton distachyos of the Aponogetonaceae, which occurs naturally in the Western Cape during the spring, and is prized in cooking; blommetjie sense 2; Cape pondweed, see Cape sense 2 a; waterblom (sense a); wateruintjie sense a. Also attributive.
, a stew of meat and waterblommetjies; wateruintjie bredie, see wateruintjie sense b.
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Afrikaans
waterblom, nounn.waterbok, nounn.
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