I’d already heard a bit about food from South Africa before cooking it, and I could see that there were a lot of dishes I wanted to try. I was also excited by the variety—there are a lot of interesting flavor combinations created due to the influence of other countries!
South Africa, as you may have guessed, is located in the south of Africa. It’s a unique country because it has three capital cities: Pretoria is the administrative capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.
The Khosian people were the first known indigenous people in the region. They were largely displaced when the Bantu people began to immigrate from west and central Africa a few thousand years ago.
In 1487, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in southern Africa. However, it was the Dutch and the British who took an interest in the land in the 1600s, initially because their merchants saw trade opportunities.
The Dutch created colonies and brought over people they had enslaved from various other countries. The colonists often did not get along with the native people, resulting in conflicts that went on for centuries.
Cape Town was ceded to Great Britain in the early 19th century, and the British did not get along with the indigenous people either. Gold and diamonds were discovered in the region, which caused the British to increase their subjugation of the locals.
After a series of wars known as the Boer Wars, the country took a step towards independence by creating the Union of South Africa, a British dominion. However, although South Africa formally separated from the British Commonwealth in 1961, most people consider 1994, when apartheid ended, to be the beginning of true independence.
Basically, apartheid was a policy of racial segregation that heavily favored white people. And it only ended in 1994!
What Do People Eat in South Africa?
South African cuisine varies widely. There are traditional dishes, which are more like what you might find in neighboring African countries, but there are also heavy Dutch, British, and Indian influences due to colonialism and trade.
Many dishes focus on meat, which is often cooked over an open fire in a tradition known as ‘braai’, derived from the Afrikaans word for ‘barbecue’. Many kinds of meat can be cooked in this way, such as boerewors (spiced sausage), steak, goat or lamb chops, and marinated chicken.
Some staple accompaniments to meals include rice and pap, which is a stiff porridge made from maize or sorghum. Pap is usually served with a flavorful stew or thick sauce.
Popular flavors in South Africa include spices such as cumin, coriander, and chili peppers. There are many curry dishes which taste similar to something you would find in India.
A few British dishes that became popular in South Africa include roast dinners (with gravy and rice instead of Yorkshire pudding), fish and chips, meat pies, and sausage rolls.
What I Made
- Bobotie (Spiced Beef Casserole with Egg Topping)
- Braaibroodjie (Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Onion, and Apricot Chutney)
- Bunny Chow (Bread Filled with Curry)
- Chakalaka (Spicy Vegetable and Bean Relish)
- Gatsby (Sandwich with Chips, Sausage, and Spicy Sauce)
Scroll down to read about other popular South African dishes I didn’t make!
Bobotie (Spiced Beef Casserole with Egg Topping)
Bobotie, South Africa’s unofficial national dish, is a casserole made from a curry-spiced meat base, sweetened with apricot chutney. Just before baking, an egg and milk mixture is poured on top. It’s often served with yellow rice, which gets its color from turmeric. Raisins and/or sultanas can be added to the meat mixture, but I don’t really like them so I left them out.
First, I made the apricot chutney. This was actually pretty simple. I soaked finely chopped dried apricots in boiling water until soft. Then, I cooked finely chopped onion in a little oil until soft. I added garlic and a little salt, and after a minute or so, I poured in the apricots with their soaking water, along with chili flakes and brown sugar.
I simmered the chutney until it was beginning to thicken. Then, I added some white wine vinegar and cooked for a few more minutes. I set the chutney aside and proceeded with the bobotie.
I began the bobotie by cooking ground beef in a skillet with a sprinkle of salt. I removed it, leaving behind the grease, and added butter and chopped onions. Once the onions began to soften, I added salt, tomato paste, minced garlic, and ginger, and cooked for a few more minutes. Then I added the rest of the ingredients for the meat mixture: the beef, apricot chutney, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ground ginger, curry powder, and turmeric powder.
After a few more minutes of cooking, I transferred the beef mixture to a casserole dish and spread it out evenly. I whisked together eggs and milk and poured the mixture over the top. It is traditional to add bay leaves for decoration at this point, but I left them out.
I put the bobotie in the oven and moved on to the rice. This was super simple since I used my rice cooker. I just added salt, butter, and turmeric powder to the rice cooker with the water and basmati rice.
I thought the bobotie was very good, though I’m not generally a fan of sweet curry flavors. I’d have liked more of the egg custard, but that’s just my personal preference.
This recipe is from Pants Down Aprons On. Just remember the Worcestershire sauce for the meat mixture as it’s missing from the directions. I also used the Apricot Chilli Chutney recipe from the same site—just don’t forget the vinegar.
Braaibroodjie (Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Onion, and Apricot Chutney)
South Africa’s version of a grilled cheese sandwich sounded interesting to me, and since I love grilled cheese, I knew I needed to try it! Along with the standard cheese and bread, this also includes onion, tomato, and apricot chutney, and it’s usually cooked on an actual grill alongside meat. I don’t have a grill (one day I hope!), so I just used a skillet. I made the apricot chutney I used here; see the previous dish for the details!
I buttered two slices of white bread. On the side without the butter, I added apricot chutney, thinly sliced red onion, grated cheddar cheese, and tomato slices. I sprinkled everything with salt and pepper, then put the other slice of bread on top (butter side up) and added the sandwich to a hot skillet.
Once one side was browning sufficiently, I flipped the sandwich. A few minutes later, it was done. I sliced the sandwich and ate it. It was amazing! A great combination of flavors.
This recipe is from New York Times Cooking, though it’s the kind of thing you could also easily just go ahead and make without one.
Bunny Chow (Bread Filled with Curry)
I was enticed by this dish the moment I first saw it. It’s a curry that is typically served in bread, like soup served in a bread bowl. I love bread with stuff in it!
Despite the name, bunny chow doesn’t typically have rabbit meat in it. The Indian merchants who originally sold this dish were from the ‘Bania’ caste, so the word ‘bunny’ is thought to have come from that. So ‘bunny chow’ really just means ‘Indian food’.
I started by melting ghee and adding cumin seeds, a cinnamon stick, and curry leaves. After about 30 seconds, I stirred in chopped onions. When they were beginning to soften, I added minced garlic, ginger, and serrano peppers, followed by salt, tomato paste, ground cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper. I stirred in diced tomatoes and cooked for a few more minutes. Then, I added bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh and enough water to cover them.
I covered the pan and simmered for about 10 minutes, then added potato chunks and continued simmering until the potato was tender. I took the lid off towards the end so that the sauce could thicken a little.
I sprinkled in some garam masala. Then, I served the curry in a hollowed-out piece of white bread, sprinkled with chopped cilantro.
This was delicious! I really liked the curry paired with the bread.
This recipe is from Great Curry Recipes. It includes swede but I omitted it. I also changed the order of the directions a bit by adding the chicken before the potatoes and giving it a head start. I wanted to make sure the chicken was tender without overcooking the potatoes. The recipe also doesn’t say when to add the chilies unless you’re reading the blog post above. They go in with the garlic and ginger.
Chakalaka (Spicy Vegetable and Bean Relish)
Chakalaka is a simple vegetable and bean dish traditionally served with pap. However, it also goes well with rice, which is what I served it with.
I began by cooking diced onion in olive oil until it began to soften. Then, I added garlic and ginger and cooked for another minute or so. I stirred in grated carrot, and after a few minutes, I added diced red and yellow bell peppers, followed by tomato paste, curry powder, and paprika. Finally, I added diced tomatoes, baked beans (from a can), and chicken stock. I let everything simmer for about 10 minutes or so, and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Sugar can be added too, but I didn’t feel it was necessary.
I ate this with rice, and I thought it was pretty good, but I would halve the curry powder if I made it again. I did think when making this that it seemed like a lot of curry powder, but I decided to trust the recipe.
The recipe I used is from Pants Down Aprons On. Remember the garlic and ginger because they aren’t listed in the directions!
Gatsby (Sandwich with Chips, Sausage, and Spicy Sauce)
This sandwich is a popular street food dish from Cape Town. Its name probably comes from The Great Gatsby, likely due to how over the top this sandwich is. The exact fillings vary, but typically they will include chips (that’s fries for Americans), lunch meat such as bologna, a spicy sauce, and salad.
I made the sauce by mixing together white vinegar, ketchup, chili garlic sauce, garlic salt, peri peri seasoning, paprika, and curry powder. Sugar was listed as an optional ingredient, but I didn’t feel like it was necessary.
I cheated here and used frozen fries which I baked in the oven. For the meat, I used Polish sausage since I had it on hand. When the chips were done, I tossed them in some of the sauce. Then I was ready to assemble.
For the sandwich, I used a baguette roll. I added some fries, followed by sausage slices, extra sauce, more fries, then lettuce and tomato.
This was super delicious and I really loved the flavor of the sauce. It’s not something I’d make often though, since it’s not particularly healthy!
This recipe is from Taste.
Other Popular South African Dishes
- Potjiekos – a stew cooked in a three-legged cast iron pot over an open fire, with layers of meat, vegetables, and spices, simmered without stirring.
- Koeksisters – fried dough infused with a spiced sugar syrup. The dough is usually braided before frying.
- Malva pudding – a cake or pudding featuring apricot jam, baked and then soaked in a cream sauce. I really wanted to make this but just could not fit it in!
Final Thoughts
I loved everything I made this week! My favorite food from South Africa was the braaibroodjie. I love grilled cheese sandwiches and I really liked the flavor added by the apricot chutney.
Next time, I will be cooking food from South Korea.