In 1861, William Banting, a wealthy undertaker to the royal family, found himself obese. His doctor and himself came up with the idea of a Low Carb High Fat diet. He meticulously recorded his food intake and weight, and published a pamphlet called ‘The Letter on Corpulence’ that was so popular it had to be reprinted three times. ‘To bant’ became the ‘trending’ word of 1863 and made its way into the Oxford dictionary; only the third ever verb named after an individual. It was a food revolution of its day.
2014: nutritional crisis
Fast forward to 2010, when a Cape Town professor with a passion for exercise and sports science linked our low-fat eating lifestyle to the nutritional crisis that society now finds itself in. Professor Tim Noakes and his book The Real Meal Revolution has become the most successful ever-published book in South Africa and is soon set to join the international book stage. He truly started an eating revolution across South Africa.
The Banting Kitchen
On Friday, 22nd August 2014 a consortium of Banters opened the world’s first restaurant dedicated to the Banting dining lifestyle, at 47 Main Road, Green Point (in front of the prestigious Cape Royale Luxury Hotel).
This 120 seat upscale restaurant is called The Banting Kitchen and will provide low carb, good fat, wholesome, traditional food for breakfast and dinner seven days a week, as well as for lunch over weekends.
The menu
The menu is a delectable array of mouth-watering offerings created by the Banting team led by Chef Ryan Brand over the past year. He commented: ‘We offer real food without the chemical processes to reduce fat and meddle with the nutrients as provided by nature. We have had to source new natural ingredients to invent new way of creating people’s favorites without the carbs.’
The menu includes starters of roasted butternut or speck ham and lubna salads; other Banting-friendly starters include spiced chicken roulade, creamy garlic mussels, salt and pepper calamari, home smoked salmon, creamy garlic and chili chicken livers, and a crustless goats cheese and baby marrow quiche.
The entrees at The Banting Kitchen feature wild mushroom caulisotto (a cauliflower risotto), oriental spiced cream cheese chicken supreme, homemade Banting Lasagna (cream cheese eggs and husks). There is a full range of aged steaks, lamb loin, braised pork belly, grilled venison, as well as a rich oxtail stew. A variety of Banting-friendly sauces and vegetables can also be ordered, including roast butternut mash and of course the popular cauli-mash.
Banting enthusiasts can also enjoy a variety of desserts ranging from lemon panna cotta, red wine poached pear, baked cheesecake and more.
Proud Banters
The consortium of Banters is led by Capetonian Lindsey Hughes (39). She explains what The Banting Kitchen will offer: ‘At The Banting Kitchen we believe in going back to basics and what is good for one’s body; it’s Banting 21st Century style and we are tremendously excited. The Banting Kitchen team is very proud that we too are pioneers in the march against obesity and diabetes. Personally Banting helps me to keep a great balance in life and most importantly helps control my children’s blood sugar levels.’ Two of Lindsey’s sons have Type 1 Diabetes.
International interest
She says that the Banting lifestyle choice is now getting tremendous international interest, including a recent cover story entitled ‘Scientists labeled fat the enemy. Why they were wrong’ in the prestigious TIME magazine, amongst others, and that Noakes’ book will soon be launched in the UK. “Similarly, we’re excited as we investigate opportunities to take The Banting Kitchen brand across South Africa and the rest of the world. We’re proud to be part of the revolution that can change people’s lives in the most positive way,” Hughes concludes.
Follow The Banting Kitchen on Twitter @bantingkitchen.
Read this article on Parent24 about Tim Noakes and Banting for children.
Are you Banting? Have a look at our collection of low carb recipes.