South Africa

🇿🇦South Africa

Amarula

A South African cream liqueur made from the marula fruit, sweet and creamy, served on ice or in coffee. A national and global icon, rich and fruity

🇿🇦South Africa

Amasi (Soured Milk)

Amasi

A traditional South African fermented milk, thick and tangy, similar to yogurt or buttermilk. A national and traditional staple, drunk alone or with pap, a healthy and daily drink

🇿🇦South Africa

Appletiser

A South African sparkling apple juice from the Elgin Valley, 100% apple with no added sugar, a national and premium drink

🇿🇦South Africa

Atchar

A South African pickle of green mangoes, vegetables, and spices in oil, a Cape Malay and Indian condiment

🇿🇦South Africa

Biltong

Umncweba

South Africa's most loved snack: dried, cured, and spiced meat (beef, game, or ostrich) with coriander and salt

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Blatjang

Cape Malay chutney of dried apricots cooked down with chilli, onion, vinegar and brown sugar - sweet, sharp and fiery, the ancestor of commercial South African chutneys.

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Bobotie

South Africa's national dish: spiced minced meat baked with raisins, almonds, and curry, topped with an egg custard. A Cape Malay classic, sweet-savory and aromatic, served with yellow rice and sambal, a national icon.

🇿🇦South Africa

Boeber

A Cape Malay milk drink of sago, vermicelli, milk, sugar, and cardamom, served warm at Ramadan.

🇿🇦South Africa

Boerewors

South Africa's traditional farmer's sausage of beef (90%+ meat) with coriander, cloves, and nutmeg, coiled and braaied. A national and braai staple, juicy and aromatic, a cultural icon, served in a roll or with pap, a cornerstone.

🇿🇦South Africa

Boerewors Roll (Boerie Roll)

Boerewors rol

A braaied boerewors in a hotdog roll with caramelized onions, tomato sauce, or chutney. A street and braai staple, juicy and savory, a national and school fete classic, a quick and beloved snack, a South African icon.

🇿🇦South Africa

Braai

The centrepiece meal of a South African wood-fire gathering: platters of boerewors, lamb chops, steaks and chicken grilled over coals and eaten off the fire with pap, chakalaka and garlic bread

🇿🇦South Africa

Braaibroodjie

A South African braaied sandwich of cheese, tomato, and onion, toasted on the coals. A braai staple, crispy and gooey, a national and comfort classic, a braai side and snack, a beloved and simple treat, a grilled sandwich.

🇿🇦Durban, South Africa

Bunny Chow

A Durban specialty: a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry (lamb, chicken, or bean). An Indian South African street food, hearty and spicy, a national icon, eaten with the hands, a Durban classic.

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Breyani (Biryani)

Breyani

A South African biryani of rice, lentils, and lamb or chicken with spices, a Cape Malay and Indian classic. A festive and wedding staple, aromatic and hearty, a national and cultural dish

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Malay Curry

Cape Maleier curry

A South African curry of Indonesian/Malay origin, mild and fruity with cinnamon, cardamom, and dried fruit. A Cape Town and Western Cape specialty, sweet-savory and aromatic, a national and cultural classic

🇿🇦South Africa

Chakalaka

A South African spicy vegetable relish of onions, tomatoes, carrots, beans, garlic, and chili, served with pap or bread. A national and township staple, spicy and savory, a braai and comfort companion

🇿🇦South Africa

Coconut Squares

Kokosblokkies

A South African fridge tart of Tennis biscuits, condensed milk, coconut, and white chocolate, a no-bake classic. A national and party staple, sweet and coconutty

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Denningvleis

A Cape Malay lamb dish slow-cooked with tamarind, spices, and sugar, sweet-sour and aromatic. A regional and festive specialty, tender and rich, a national and Cape Malay classic, a heritage and Sunday dish, a traditional stew.

🇧🇼Botswana

Dikgobe

Izinkobe

Comforting mixture of beans and samp (processed corn) — a balanced, earthy dish cooked slowly until both beans and samp are tender; a staple of Botswana home cooking, often served at gatherings.

🇿🇦South Africa

Dombolo (Dumplings)

Dombolo

South African steamed bread dumplings, served with stews and soups to soak up the sauce. A national and home staple, soft and golden, a comfort and rustic dish, a traditional and hearty companion

🇿🇦Durban, South Africa

Durban Curry Roti

An oversized Durban roti wrapped around mutton or chicken curry with slap chips and cheese - the late-night institution of Durban's Indian quarter

🇿🇦South Africa

Frikkadels

South African meatballs of beef mince bound with soaked bread, onion and spices, fried or braised in tomato gravy and packed into school lunchboxes.

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Gatsby

A Cape Town submarine sandwich: a foot-long roll filled with slap chips, meat (steak, polony, or calamari), salad, and sauces. A Cape Flats street food, huge and shared, a national and city icon, a filling meal.

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Geelrys

The Afrikaans name for yellow rice, a turmeric-and-raisin rice served with bobotie, a national staple. A Cape Malay and home classic, golden and aromatic, a comfort and festive side

🇳🇦Namibia

Goat Head

Smiley

Cooked goat or sheep head — a Namibian township delicacy, boiled or steamed until tender, served whole with the teeth visible (hence the name 'smiley'); eaten with pap or bread.

🇿🇦South Africa

Grapetiser

A South African sparkling grape juice, 100% grape with no added sugar, a national and premium drink

🇿🇦South Africa

Hertzoggies

A South African jam tart with a pastry base, jam filling, and a coconut-meringue topping, baked golden. A national and tea-time classic, sweet and chewy

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Hoenderpastei

Cape Dutch chicken pie: chicken in a sweet-savoury sauce sharpened with lemon juice, layered with hard-boiled egg, baked under a double pastry crust.

🇿🇦South Africa

Isijingi

Sidvudvu

Pumpkin simmered into maize meal until soft and streaked orange - known as isijingi in KwaZulu-Natal and sidvudvu across the border in Eswatini, eaten warm as a staple side with sour milk or stews

🇿🇦South Africa

Jaffle

A South African toasted sandwich, sealed and pressed in a jaffle iron, filled with cheese, tomato, or mince. A national and home staple, crispy and gooey

🇿🇦South Africa

Jerepigo

A South African sweet dessert wine with a dash of brandy, a fortified and national classic

🇿🇦South Africa

Karoo Roast Ostrich Steak

Pan-seared ostrich steak served rosy under a creamy peppercorn sauce with pumpkin-and-maize mash - French technique applied to Karoo ostrich, listed by TasteAtlas as a Swazi national dish though the birds are farmed in the Karoo.

🇿🇦South Africa

Koeksister

An Afrikaans sweet of plaited dough, fried golden and soaked in ice-cold sugar syrup, crispy and sticky. A national and tea-time staple, sweet and crunchy

🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa

Koesister (Cape Malay)

Koesister

The Cape Malay version of koeksister: spiced dough balls fried and rolled in desiccated coconut, with cardamom and ginger. A Cape Town and Cape Malay classic, sweet and aromatic, a national and tea-time treat, a festive and Sunday pastry, a spiced sweet.

🇿🇦South Africa

Kota

Spatlo

A Gauteng township street food: a quarter loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with polony, cheese, eggs, Russian sausage, atchar, and slap chips - called kota in Johannesburg and spatlo in Pretoria and Tshwane townships.

🇿🇦South Africa

Mageu (Mahewu)

Mageu

A traditional South African fermented maize-meal drink, sweet and tangy