South African food has gone through many stages and nowadays incorporates tastes from indigenous tribes as well as colonist and slave influences. Meat is the main staple of any meal, whether that meat is something familiar like beef or pork, or more exotic, like game meat from ostrich, zebra, or crocodile. South Africans eat a lot of stews as well, like “Potjiekos” (meat and veggie stew or “Tomato Bredie” (mutton stew with spices). Cape Malay influences are also common, so you can find a lot of seafood, like fish curry or Rock Lobster here, too. Each dish blends together many delicious spices, many of which are found in Indian dishes. Overall, South African cuisine is very tasty, but very complex. A tour guide can share more insight with you about this country’s food, as well as take you to some of the best places to try it first-hand.
South Africa
Entrée:
Rusks double-baked bread (can be flavoured buttermilk, marmalade, aniseed)
Umngqusho bean dish
Braai BBQ:
Braaivleis roasted meat – Beef, Lamb, Mutton
Game Meat: Antelope (Impala, Eland and Springbok), Crocodile, Warthog, Ostrich
Boerewors spicy sausages (Boerewors Rolls are hotdogs)
Sosatie skewered meat kebab (lamb/mutton)
Frikkadel meatballs
Indian Cuisine:
Bunny chow – hollowed loaf of bread with curry
Curries, Atjars, Samoosas, Biryanis, Trotters and Beans
African Cuisine:
Mealie Pap cornmeal porridge: Slappap (runny) Stywepap (doughy), Krummel (crumby)
Cape Malay Cuisine (influences from historic Indo-Asian slaves):
Smoorsnoek – snoek fish with onions and tomatoes
Oumens onder die kombers (old person under the blanket) meat patties wrapped in cabbage leaves
Denningvleis –lamb with chillies, spices and vinegar
Bobotie/bobotjie – curried meatloaf with savoury custard topping and almonds
Waterblommetjiebredie mutton stew and sorrel
Spices: garlic, ginger, chilli, star anise, barishap (fennel), mustard leaves, jeera (cumin), koljander (coriander seed), wild asparagus, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, sorrel, dhania (coriander leaf), mustard seed, allspice, mint, fenugreek, saffron, nutmeg, tamarind
Stews:
Potjiekos meat and veg stew
Tomato bredie mutton stew with spices
Seafood:
Oysters, Fish curry, Rock Lobster, Kingklip, Snoek
Snacks:
Biltong – salty dried meat (beef, pork, can also be from game Kudu, Zebra, ostrich), Droëwors (dried sausage)
Masonja fried Mopane caterpillar worms, Fried locusts
Gatsby sandwiches
Vetkoek meat pastries
Durban Samoosas
Chakalaka relish, Sambals
Dessert:
Melktert milk tart
Koeksisters deep-fried sticky doughnuts
Dried fruit:
Green Fig
Malve Apricot pudding
Drink:
Rooibos (Red Bush) Tea
Appletiser (sparkling apple/fruit juice)
Soft Drinks:
Sparletta Creme Soda and Sparletta Iron Brew
Beer:
Castle, Hansa, Black Label, Castle Milk Stout
Mageu fermented maize
Chibuku Shake Shake (brewed from sorghum and corn in a milk carton)
Homebrewed beer from a township shebeen
Cider:
Savannah Cider
Wine:
Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Colombard, Pinotage, Jerepigo, Cape Port
Spirits:
Cape Velvet Cream liqueur (brandy), Distilled Witblits and Mampoer
Hana LaRock is originally from New York, though has called other places around the world her home for the last two years. She currently lives in South Korea as an English teacher and freelance travel writer. When she’s not working, she enjoys writing, reading, spending time with her dog, and of course, traveling. You can find her at www.hanalarockwriting.com.
