Food in ZA

There are lots of foodstuffs we’ve gotten to try here, and for the most part, we’ve enjoyed them all. Here are some but of course there are many others which we may post on as we “eat the zoo”, as we Z’s in ZA say.

Biltong/Droewors: Dried salted meat, can be just about any animal, ostrich, kudu, springbok, beef, Biltong is more like jerky, and droewors more like perhaps a slim-jim, or a dried sausage.

Bobotie: A dish of Malay origin, a mince curry with an egg custard topping, served with tasty delights.

Braai: a way of life in SA. A braai is like a barbecue, but most South Africans would probably contest this. How pervasive is braai’ing? While a barbecue may be considered an amenity at most places you stay, a braai area is an essential. Every dustbin you see has the warning “geen warm as/ no hot ashes”, to deter you from dumping braai coals in.

Koeksesters: a traditional Afrikaaner treat from the tuisnywerheid (pastry shop). These little twists of fried dough are placed in syrup right out of the fryer, which allows them to soak up the sticky stuff.

Melktart: a condensed milk based pie. Yum

Pap: Maize or corn is a staple here, and pap, braaipap, or mieliepap, is a common way to prepare it. It’s a lot like grits, but not so gritty.

Pies: Pies are like self contained pot pies, filled with lovely little bits and bobs such as steak and kidney, chicken tikka masala, mushroom and cheese, pepper steak, mmmmm. Excuse me, I’m drooling, going to eat a pie now….

Potgie you’d probably never guess, but this is pronounced poik-ee. It means a small pot in Afrikaans and it has three legs. It’s made with meat and veggies, something like a stew, just throw it all in potgie over the fire and cook it all day.

Rooibos: Made into a hot or cold drink (some would protest if you call it “tea”), rooibos (red bush) if touted as having health benefits, mainly anti-oxidants, some minerals, and no caffeine (two out of three ain’t bad)

Rusks: small biscuitoids, elongate for dipping in coffee or tea, rusks are a common accompaniment to the morning hot drink. “Baked to stale perfection”, as Jossie has said, a warning to any who may try to eat an undunked rusk. You may chip a tooth and need to have it replaced with precious metals.

Samoosas: Samoosas, or samosas, are similar to those served in Indian cuisine, only filled with pie fillings (see above). The most common flavors are chicken and veg, ham and cheese, and spicy meat. I was confronted by an aggressive samoosa seller on the street as I came out of the shops one evening. He was trying to get rid of his days supply of samoosas probably about 15 of them, and would not take no for an answer. I argued with him that I didn’t want that many and it seemed to be too much money, but he eventually got my beer money, and we got some delicious samoosas that were more authentically Indian in character.
Samoosas arrived in ZA with Malay slaves who were brought here as semi-skilled labor. They were often employed as cooks, and it would seem, combined the traditional samosa with untraditional fillings.