Centurion, an anonymous no man’s land between Joburg and Pretoria, is home to a magical place called Buyuk Chamlija: a self-described “Socio Eco Techno Village” that grows fat, juicy pomegranates and has a Turkish restaurant shaped like a beehive.
Fiver and I spent an afternoon at Buyuk Chamlija — I’m going to call it BC for short — during its annual pomegranate festival. We picked pomegranates, sipped pomegranate juice, and ate Turkish pizza and pomegranate ice cream. We watched young families playing basketball and frolicking in fountains. We had a short conversation with a nice Turkish man named Hussein, who works at BC and knows a lot about pomegranate farming.
One thing we didn’t do, however, is figure out what BC actually is. Hussein said it’s run by a Turkish non-profit — I don’t know which one, but it’s not affiliated with the Nizamiye Mosque in nearby Midrand (for some reason I thought it might be). Anyway, BC seems to be quite a large operation and I’m curious to know what it’s all about.
I need to do more research and I don’t know enough to write an informed, comprehensive blog post about BC. But in the meantime I wanted to tell you about the pomegranates (love that word!) and the restaurant, Tadinda, which is almost certainly the most interesting building in Centurion.
That’s all on BC for now. I suggest following them on Instagram; in addition to the pomegranate festival, they are planning annual olive and cherry festivals and various other events. Also I think the restaurant is open every day.
Hw cool LOVE the domes. And how beautiful pomegranates are growing on a tree. I have never seen such a thing. I’d love to try the ice cream (I love Chobani Greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds)
I also had no idea how they grew. They are very fun to pick, too!
I have always loved pomegranates (love the word, too) ever since I ate my first one as a young boy. I have always been fascinated with how the seeds/pearls form on its interior and with the wonderful flavor of the juice. I buy Pom brand juice regularly, even though it’s way too expensive here. Love your posts and so proud to know you!!
Aw, thanks Dave. I hope you’re doing well. xx
Love, love pomegranates and that Tadinda building is stunning.
Yeah. We’ll have to go back!
Those pomegranates look huge. And restaurant is a pretty unique building. Pomegranates are tasty, but like a lot of foods with seeds, they are best eaten outside!
I know, the pomegranates in the store look so puny after having these. And yes, our kitchen looked like a murder had taken place there after Thorsten cut up the first one ????
So many fresh things!
Is the food at the restaurant Halaal ?
azizm@fazima.co.za
Oh yes, I’m sure it is.