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Mealies, or corn, predominantly used in SA’s cuisine
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Monday, 16 June, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Manish Malhotra & Vaibhav Verma
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fiogf49gjkf0d South Africa, the country located on the southernmost tip of the African continent, has an eclectic range of cuisine that is influenced by indigenous African cooking, and British, Dutch, Indian and many other varieties of cuisines. Hence, South African cuisine is popular the world over as rainbow cuisine.
Over 80 per cent of South Africa's land could be farmed, but only about 12 per cent is devoted to agriculture. The main crop is corn (called mealies in South Africa). Wheat is only grown in winter, when the climate is like the Northern Hemisphere’s summer.
Kaffir corn, which is really sorghum (a grass similar to Indian corn), is another important crop.
South African farmers also raise livestock, but their herds do not produce enough meat to feed the population. Meat is imported in the form of live animals from neighbouring Namibia and Botswana.
South African cuisine
South Africa’s mild climate produces a variety of fruit and vegetables. Potatoes, cabbage, mealies, sunflower, peppers and green beans are commonly grown.
The abundance of rain in the northern tip of the country allows tropical fruit to grow, including bananas, pineapples and mangoes. Such fruit make delicious desserts.
Dishes of British origin are seasoned and flavourful in South Africa. Spices were added to popular meals, such as the meat pie.
The Boer (Dutch) Chicken Pie is a crusted chicken potpie with plenty of seasonings, topped with eggs and ham.
Bobotie, a beef or lamb potpie, contains raisins, apples, almonds, and curry powder, a savoury seasoning.
Sausages (made of beef or pork) and sosaties (seasoned lamb on a skewer) are commonly eaten at meals.
Sosaties are most frequently served at a braai (barbecue party) and served with sauce and biscuits.
South Africans make sosaties in different ways, with a variety of seasonings to make the meal more flavourful.
Other meat favourites are ostrich and chicken. Frikkadels (little hamburgers, usually seasoned with nutmeg) are sometimes served wrapped in cabbage leaves.
Bredies (meat and vegetable stews of all kinds, which are usually named for the primary vegetable ingredient [such as carrot bredie or tomato bredie]).
Wine, water, mechow (a fermented beer-like drink made from cornmeal) and tea are often served with meals. Rice pudding, melktert (milk custard tart) and cookies are popular desserts.
A typical holiday menu may include rock lobster tail or seasoned lamb or pork accompanied by cabbage.
Serving appetisers depends on the size of the dinner. People generally prefer to save room for dinner, dessert, and after-dinner drinks.
Sambals (condiments such as chopped vegetables and chutneys), atjar (pickled fruits and vegetables), yams, geel rys (yellow rice), and green bean salad are popular side dishes.
Mealie bread (corn-bread) is a South African favourite, and is often served before or during the meal.
Wine, beer, tea, or water may be refreshing to adults, while children may enjoy soft drinks or other non-alcoholic beverages.
Rooibos tea (pronounced roy boy) - a strong, caffeine-free herbal tea made from a plant that is native to South Africa - is served without milk, sugar, or lemon. Rice pudding is a common dessert.
A much smaller number of South Africans are either Muslims or Hindus. Muslims observe Ramadan, which is a month-long and movable.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast (avoid eating and drinking) from sunrise to sunset to worship and practice self-control.
After sunset, people gather together to enjoy dinner, called iftar. Dinner may include rice, dates, and a variety of spiced dishes.
Hindus celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. On this day, the Hindus eat a small portion of lamb, chicken or fish with beans or lentils.
Their festive dishes often contain up to 15 different spices and are accompanied by bread.
As mentioned earlier, the cooking of South Africa, often called rainbow cuisine, is a mixture of indigenous African dishes, the cooking of Dutch and English settlers and the well-spiced foods of Malays, Indians and Indonesians who were brought to South Africa as slaves and servants in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Food in the south & east
Cattle are regarded as a symbol of wealth across much of Africa. So while farmers may use them for dairy products, often the animals are not used for their meat.
Many people in the south and east rely mainly on grains, beans and vegetables, with fish providing protein in coastal, lake or river regions.
South Africa is not only known for its immense natural beauty and culture, but for its great food too.
If one wants to taste the flavour of South African foods, all he/she needs to do is visit any of the local market, and he/she get it easily.
In a street in a South African town, one would comfortably find Italian, Moroccan, Chinese, Portuguese and Indian food, among others. From hamburgers to sushi, one would find anything in South Africa.
South African delicacies also include crocodile sirloin, fried caterpillars and even sheep’s heads.
Some South Africans may avoid these foods, while others would do anything to get them.
As South Africa has so many different cultures and beliefs, one would also find out that certain foods are eaten for various occasions.
Snake meat is among the South African foods that visitors might wish to taste. It is very popular among local cuisine lovers.
Foods such as biltong, a kind of dried and salted meat, may not sound good, but are addictive.
The best way to enjoy it is to take it on a road trip. In South Africa, it is known that a rugby match cannot be watched without it.
One could try babotie (a highly-improved version of Shepherd’s pie), or a traditional South African braai (barbeque) with boerewors (hand-made farm sausage).
Since ancient times, maize has been widely used for African cuisine. Be it Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, or Xhosa, has a diverse preference for eating it, although some dishes or meals have approval by most of them.
On a visit to South Africa, it may be difficult to find these traditional dishes. The best idea is to visit a local friend’s home and enjoy his/her mother’s cooking or father’s braai.
South Africa is home to many ethnic and racial groups, many of them migrant communities.
These groups have all contributed to the rich cultural mix of the country. The list of foodstuffs offered below represents ethnic dishes of particular groups.
Many of the recipes have since been adopted by other groups and are no longer the preserve of the group of origin.
This list is not exhaustive, and represents only a sample of South African food.
Achaar: Imported to South Africa by migrant Indians, achaar is a spicy salad made of mango and oil. Eaten in excess, it could trigger an offensive smell of the armpits.
Amanqina: The hoof of a cow, pig or sheep, which is boiled and spiced and sticky.
Biltong: Dried and salted raw meat, similar to the beef jerky made in the United States. An Afrikaner delicacy, biltong could be made of ostrich, beef, kudu or any other red meat.
Bobotie: Of Malay origin, made with minced meat and curried spices. An egg sauce is poured on top of this, and it is then baked.
Boerewors: A spicy South African sausage made of beef or lamb. Popular at open-air braais, where it is grilled over charcoal.
Chakalaka: A salad of Indian or Malay origin made of onion, garlic, ginger, green pepper, carrots and cauliflower spiced with chilies and curry.
Chotlo: A delicacy of the Tswana people, this is meat cut into extremely small pieces with the bones removed. The meat is first boiled, then ground before being put back into the pot and stirred until it becomes very fine. A treat for the toothless.
Frikkadel: South African meat balls made of tomatoes, onion, minced beef and other ingredients, shaped into round balls.
Gherkin: A small pickled cucumber, often sliced thinly and used in salads or on hamburgers.
Koeksisters: Afrikaner plaited dough cakes, which are syrupy, sweet and very sticky.
Mala: Intestines, especially those of chicken. They are thoroughly cleaned, cooked in boiling water and fried, and eaten with pap (see below).
Maotwana: Chicken legs boiled to remove the hard skin, thoroughly washed, salted and fried. They are often served to school children because of their low cost.
Mashonzha: Worms, similar to caterpillars in appearance. These live in and around the mopani trees found in the Lowveld areas of Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. Popular with the Shangaans, Vendas and Bapedi of the Northern Province.
Mogodu: Tripe, which is thoroughly cleaned and boiled for two to three hours. Once softened, it is allowed to simmer before being served with pap.
Morogo: Wild spinach, the most popular being thepe. Boiled, softened and served with stiff porridge.
Pap: Boiled corn meal, often served with sous (a sauce, usually featuring tomato and onions).
Rooibos tea: A popular South African herbal tea made in the Cape from the Cyclopia genistoides bush. Rooibos is an Afrikaans word, meaning red bush. Rooibos has no caffeine and less tannin than tea.
Samoosa: A small, spicy, triangular-shaped pie, deep-fried in oil. Made by the Indian and Malay communities, samoosas are popular with South Africans in general.
Serobe: A dish of the Tswana people. A thoroughly-washed and boiled mixture of tripe, intestines and lungs. These are cut into small pieces with a pair of scissors before being spiced to taste.
Snoek: This is a popular and tasty fish, caught off the Cape coast and often eaten smoked at a snoek braai.
Skop: The head of a cow, sheep or goat, which is scrubbed with a sharp instrument (such as a razor) to remove skin. After chopping off the unwanted parts, such as the ears and nose, the head is boiled and allowed to simmer. It is favoured by African men.
Ting: A dish favoured by the Tswanas in both South Africa and Botswana. It is a soft, sour porridge made of sorghum, and eaten at breakfast.
Umnqusho: A delicacy among the Xhosa people, this is samp mixed with beans. It is boiled for over three hours before mixing with the beans. Salt and oil are then added and the dish allowed to simmer.
(The authors are assistant professors, Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology)
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