South Africa is a vast country with diverse cultures. It is home to descendants of the Dutch, French, Indians, and Malaysians and not forgetting the natives of the land. As such, the culture of the food is just as broad. The cuisines will tickle your taste buds, leaving you with a warm feeling inside, and will satisfy your hunger. The different methods of preparing the food also have a massive impact on the taste. It’s all just to die for and worth the travel. Here is a range of different foods from different South African cultures that will leave you craving for more!
Boerewors
This piece of meat could undoubtedly be everyone’s favourite. Boerewors, translated from Afrikaans and Dutch, means farmer sausage. It might land as a South African favourite because of the mixture of meats in it. Wors mainly consist of beef, pork, and or lamb. As if mixing the meats isn’t enough for flavour, it also has a wide range of spices, from coriander and nutmeg to black paper cloves. The mixture of the herbs and meats just takes boerewors to a whole new level.
Farmers’ sausage is commonly prepared at a braai or barbecue. The wors is left to cook slowly on a low heat fire. As the sausage cooks, juices start oozing out of it, releasing a heavenly aroma. The mouth-watering sausage is ready when beautifully golden with bits of char around it. If you ask anyone where to get the best boerewors, they will simply tell you to check out Checkers online, and you will be all set. There’s an annual Boerewors Championship Competition where braai-masters enter their recipes for a chance to get Checkers stores nationwide to stock their winning boerewors. So yes, it’s no lie that you’ll get the best, even if it’s the R89.99 Championship Boerie Bites.
Biltong and Droewors
These two pieces of meat are normally eaten as snacks. Biltong and droewors are simply flavoured dried pieces of meat such as beef or game and sausage.
Long before refrigerators, indigenous people had a love for their meat as much as they have today, and to preserve it, they dried it up. The meat is cured in a mixture of salt, sugar, vinegar, and spices such as coriander. It’s then left to air dry. During the process, the core absorbs all the spices and intensely flavours the meat and sausage. These two delicious snacks are a favourite for South African travellers. I mean, what is a road trip without Biltong or Droewors?
Bunny Chow
A traditional food that you don’t want to miss when visiting South Africa is a bunny chow or better known by most as a ‘Kota’. Bunny chow’s originally from Durban from the Indian culture, but are now a favourite across South Africa. Easy to prepare and so delicious to eat, the bunny chow is simply a hollowed-out half loaf of bread with either chicken curry, beef curry, or even pork curry, all depending on what you love most. Bunny chows also have a strong market for vegetarians as their version is stuffed with lentils and beans.
The Kota is not only from curries, but most have it with fries, baloney, bacon, sausage, and a range of different sauces that make the Kota juicy.
Malva Pudding
If you have a sweet tooth and are into desserts, Malva pudding is the way to go. This pudding is a Dutch import that is mainly served warm or hot. It is a sweet and sticky pudding made with apricot jam and vinegar, giving it flavour that you would never have expected. The dessert is baked till caramelised and is served with a delicious creamy sauce, preferably custard for some and ice cream for others. Popular in many restaurants in South Africa, it is one to try and is my favourite dessert.
Koeksisters
Koeksisters are sweet crispy pastries made from dough. They are deep-fried to give them a crisp texture and are cooked through when nice and golden. Afterward, the koeksisters are soaked in sticky syrup to provide them with irresistible sweetness. Mouth-watering indeed!
If you try out these foods, we promise you won’t want to leave South Africa.
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