Polenta cake for Where the Crawdads Sing

The book: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Genre: Literary fiction

Publication date: 2018

The bake: Polenta cake with nartjie syrup

What’s the story?

This book plaits together so many intricate strands – there is a murder mystery, a coming of age story, a tale of survival against the odds, and even a love triangle. The protagonist is Kya, and the story starts in 1952 when she is just six years old. Kya lives with her parents and four older siblings on the edge of the marshes on the North Carolina coast. Her childhood is turbulent, to say the least, and ends abruptly when both her parents and her siblings abandon her (this is while she is about seven years old). She continues to live alone in their house, living off the land. Jumpin’ and Mabel, a black couple, take her under their wing and help her survive.

Kya manages to keep out of school and stay in her beloved swamp, earning her the name of “Marsh Girl”. A few years pass and she meets two local boys – Tate Walker and Chase Andrews. The relationships that develop between her, Chase and Tate will set the course for the rest of her life. It’s a joy to read about her and Tate, but what happens between her and Chase is another story. Kya is highly intelligent and so in tune with the marsh, but unfortunately very naive when it comes to the outside world. I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot as this book deserves to be read without too much fore-knowledge.

Why read it?

I can honestly say Where the Crawdads Sing is one of the BEST novels I’ve read to date. I became totally engrossed in Kya’s world and Owens’ writing sweeps you away to the marshes and the plants and animals that make it so magical. The book starts with a body lying in the swamp, and this knowledge is in the back of your mind as you read. Who killed the victim? And, of course, why did the murder happen? The novel not only has an unforgettable heroine in Kya but an incredible setting. I loved Owens’ descriptions of the marsh and its inhabitants – it was like reading poetry. It’s almost unbelievable that this is her first novel.

The actress Reese Witherspoon was also captivated by Crawdads, so much so that she spearheaded a movie of the same name. Please do yourself a favour and read the book before going to the movie theatre. I just can’t imagine that the movie will be as riveting as the book! The totally unexpected twist at the end will leave you sitting with your mouth open for at least five minutes – I guarantee it.

Pair it with: Polenta cake with nartjie syrup

This book is a perfect balance between sweet and bitter. Owens’ writing is magical, but the story is sometimes quite hard to read. Hunger and a lack of good food are somewhat of a theme in Where the Crawdads sing – Kya has to scrape a living off the land after all the adults in her life abandon her. Grits, made from ground corn, are a basic foodstuff she has to rely on to keep her hunger at bay. In South Africa, we are not really familiar with the term “grits”, but we are very familiar with maize meal or “mieliepap”. This is usually white in colour, but polenta (usually yellow) is also readily available.

Polenta is corn meal and also a staple food in many parts of the world. I have to admit, I am not a massive fan of corn or anything made from corn. However, I felt a recipe paired with Crawdads had to have something related to “grits” in it. I also felt it needed to be a sweet recipe – somehow this book is even better with a sweet treat and a nice cup of tea. I chose a polenta cake drizzled with a nartjie syrup. It’s winter here in Johannesburg, and the nartjies are in season. I love the slightly bitter taste the zest gives to the cake. And the sweetness of the juice means this cake is perfectly balanced, just like Crawdads.

*I adapted this recipe from one I found on BBC’s Good Food website. The texture is (aptly) somewhat gritty, but not unpleasant. It tastes best when served with something creamy, like ice cream or even double cream yoghurt.