South African
Suid-Afrikaanse kookkuns
Braai smoke, Cape Malay spice, Durban curry and Afrikaans puddings, all served with pap, chutney and a strong opinion about coals.
Indigenous Khoisan and Bantu-speaking peoples ate sorghum, millet, cattle and wild greens; maize took over after Portuguese trade. The Dutch settlement at the Cape from 1652 brought European baking and, through the slave trade, Indonesian and Indian cooks whose spiced, sweet-sour dishes became Cape Malay cuisine. Indian indentured labour in Natal from 1860 created Durban's curry culture. British rule added puddings and tea. The braai, once a farm and township habit, has become the shared national ritual since the end of apartheid.
Meat over wood: boerewors, lamb chops, chicken and sosaties, with pap and chakalaka on the side. Cape Malay dishes balance curry powder with apricot jam, raisins and vinegar. Durban curries are hot, oily and red, served in bread. Afrikaans baking is sweet and dairy-rich: melktert, malva, koeksisters. Maize porridge in several textures anchors everyday meals. Biltong, dried spiced meat, is the national snack.
Countries and regions
Western Cape · KwaZulu-Natal · Gauteng · Free State
Dishes 7
- 1 hr 25 min
Bobotie
Cape Malay baked mince with curry, apricot, raisins and bay, under a savoury egg custard, served with yellow rice.
South AfricaEasy
- 1 hr 50 min
Bunny chow
Durban's hollowed-out loaf filled with hot lamb curry — Indian South African street food eaten with your hands.
South AfricaMediumHot
- 40 min
Boerewors roll
South Africa's hot dog: coiled farmer's sausage grilled over coals, in a soft roll with tomato and onion relish.
South AfricaVery easy
- 40 min
Chakalaka
Spicy South African vegetable relish of onion, peppers, carrot, curry powder and baked beans, served with pap or at the braai.
South AfricaVery easyMedium heat
- 1 hr
Malva pudding
Malvapoeding
Afrikaner apricot-jam sponge pudding soaked while hot in a cream, butter and sugar sauce until it turns to sticky caramel.
South AfricaEasy
- 4 hr 5 min
Melktert
Cape Dutch milk tart — a shortcrust shell filled with set vanilla milk custard and dusted thickly with cinnamon.
South AfricaMedium
- 3 hr 30 min
Potjiekos
Slow lamb and vegetable stew built in layers in a cast-iron pot and left alone for hours, South African camp style.
South AfricaEasy