Describing the South African Gastronomy
Understanding South African Cuisine.
South Africa is home to a lot of cultural diversity, and so is its cuisine. The people, culture, languages, and landscapes offer a wide variety and add to the unique gastronomical flavours of South African cuisine.
South African cuisine has seen heavy influences of different countries and their activities during their settlement. Some of the countries that have had a serious impact on the country’s gastronomy include the Dutch, Malaysia, India, and France. The influence from these ethnicities has resulted in a melting pot of flavours and aromas that lure people to the local food of South Africa.
Perhaps the most significant influences came from the Dutch who settled in South Africa in the 1600s, followed by French Huguenots and Germans. Combining these three cultures has led to what is now known as the Akrikaans’ cooking style. The highlight of this cooking style is its preservative nature. The settlers were on constant move and didn’t have access to refrigeration of any kind. Therefore, dried meat pieces and the generous use of spices and salt to preserve them became their signature dish. The Malays, too, brought spices like cinnamon, coriander, and cardamom into the South African cuisine.
Today, the Afrikaans cooking style uses red meat, potatoes, rice, and vegetables enhanced with butter, salt, spices, and sugar. Even the deserts in this cuisine are made to last longer. Out of these, meat is traditionally used only for special occasions as it needed to be used judiciously earlier.
Representative Dishes of the Cuisine
Like any cuisine, South African cuisine has a few representative dishes or cooking styles that define the culture and gastronomy of the country. Let’s look at some of these:
- Biltong and Boerewors
Biltong and Boerewors have dried meat dishes cooked differently. Bitlongs resemble a beef jerky; it’s seasoned meat that’s available in stick or uncut form. Boerewors is dried sausage that is spiced and hung to dry.
- Potjiekos
Potjiekos is a stew made in a potjie ( a cast-iron pot) that contains meat and seasonal vegetables. These are yet another staple in South African cuisine.
- Bobotie
Like a meatloaf, Bobotie contains a ground meat base with a baked egg topping. In South Africa, this dish is often served with rice or mealie.
- Mealie
With maize being a staple crop in the country, mealie—a porridge-like mix made of cornmeal—is a common sight in South African gastronomy and often consumed as breakfast.
The modern-day Afrikaans style is diverse and rich with cultural influences and a must-try during your trip to South Africa.
Traditional South Aftican Food by Brittany Ann Haantjes
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