Southern Africa includes Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. But for our purpose, we shall group Southern African cuisine according to the subregion south of the Cunene and Zambezi Rivers that include South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

There have always been multiple indigenous tribes roaming throughout Southern Africa, each with their own culture, traditions, language, and cooking style. The largest indigenous group is the Bantu, who grows crops likes maize, pumpkins, beans and leafy greens, and raise cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. The early San and Khoi (Khoisan) were hunter-gatherers, who followed the rains throughout the region to find whatever food the land had to offer. Like the rest of the continent, the southern part of Africa was also influenced by the food culture and traditions of the Dutch, British, Portuguese, German and French colonial settlers, while waves of immigrants, for example from Malaysia and the Indian subcontinent, also brought their unique culinary culture. Foreign dishes that migrated to the country saw an evolution in their original recipes but remained respectful of their origin.

The peoples of Southern Africa make use of whatever food the land yields, and therefore it is not a surprise that most of the Southern African countries on our list share some of the most popular dishes, even if the preparation of these dishes differ.

South African cuisine

Bobotie is a dish made with minced meat, savoury spices such as curry, turmeric, garlic, onions, herbs, salt and pepper, and sometimes also raisins. Once the meat is cooked with the spices, the dish is topped with a milk and egg mixture and baked in the oven. The dish is usually garnished with bay or lemon leaves. It is served with sweet and savoury geelrys or yellow rice seasoned with turmeric, lemon rind, raisins, and cinnamon, and apricot fruit chutney. Geelrys is also a favourite in Namibia. The origin of bobotie is traced back to Roman times, but the Dutch for the first time recorded the recipe in 1609 and they eventually brought it to South Africa. The Cape Malay community added spices.

Bobotie is a curry dish made with minced beef or mutton and with milk and egg custard on top. (Source: https://taste.co.za/15-south-african-heritage-recipes-asvoted- for-by-you/)

Biltong is made of strips of beef or venison rubbed in salt, pepper and often coriander before being soaked in brine and hung to cure. Droëwors is a mix of beef mince and mutton fat and mixed with spices to make thin, cured sausage. The word biltong is of Dutch origin, and the curing process was used to cure meat for long sea voyages from Europe to the southern tip of Africa. Biltong and droëwors are also favourite snacks in Namibia, where it is prepared in the same way. In Zimbabwe, where it is called Chimukuyu, it is
prepared by smoking it over an open fire in a traditional thatched kitchen.

Biltong is made of strips of beef or venison that is cured and dried, while droëwors is a mix of meat and fat that is put into a sausage casing and also dried. (Source: https://www.chefspencil.com/top-10-south-african-dishes/)

Boerewors (farmer sausage) is usually made with a blend of ground beef and pork, but the meat must not contain more than 30% fat. No braai (barbeque) is complete without boerewors, and while the wors is being cooked over the open fire, the casing must not be pricked as the juices will run out! Boerewors is eaten with pap and sous (porridge and sauce), and it is a firm favourite in Namibia, Zimbabwe and elsewhere. Chakalaka is a traditional sauce made with tomatoes and onions, spices and with or without white beans. A boerie roll is a bread roll with cooked boerewors and doused in chakalaka, and it is a popular street food.

Pap (porridge) made with maize meal is a staple in almost every country in the region. Maize meal is relatively cheap and does not need refrigeration. It can either be made into stywe pap (thick porridge) that can be rolled in a ball and eaten with the hands, krummelpap (crumbly pap) or uphuthu, and slap pap, which is of a thinner consistency and usually eaten with milk, butter and sugar for breakfast.

Putu pap reminds one of couscous, but it is made with maize meal. (Source: https://taste.co.za/15-south-african-heritage-recipes-as-voted-for-by-you/)

Samp and beans, or umngqusho, consisting of coarsely crushed white maize kernels and speckled beans, is a staple food to be enjoyed with a rich stew.

Vetkoek, known as amagwinya in Xhosa and Zulu, refers to dough balls fried in hot oil. These are sometimes filled with curried mincemeat.

Vetkoek are balls of dough fried in hot oil. Sometimes it is served with a filling of curried mince, but it is also delicious with butter, jam and shredded cheese. (Source: https://www.chefspencil.com/top-10-south-african-dishes/)

Potjiekos is another South African favourite that is cooked in a cast-iron pot for hours over a small open fire that is fed with hot coals. Any type of red meat cut into chunks is put in the bottom of the pot with onions, garlic, potato and layers of other vegetables of your choice. Chicken or seafood can also be used. Unlike stew, the contents of potjiekos are not stirred but kept in different layers. It is served with rice. Potjiekos is equally popular in Namibia.

Potjiekos is a traditional food that is often prepared when friends and family gather. (Source: https://taste.co.za/15-south-african-heritage-recipes-as-voted-for-by-you/)

Bredie is made with any kind of meat that is stewed with vegetables, such as waterblommetjies, a plant that grows in freshwater ponds in the Western Cape, or green beans, pumpkin, cabbage or tomato. Bredie, specially made with oxtail, is a popular winter food.

Bunny chow is a favourite Indian curry street food that refers to a half a loaf of bread that is hollowed out and filled with a spicy curry mix of meat and or vegetables.

Tripe or mogodu is another popular curried dish, but it is not everybody’s favourite. It is made with thoroughly cleaned ‘honeycomb’ tripe, which is the muscle lining of the second stomach of a slaughtered ruminant farm animal. The tripe is cut into small pieces and boiled with or without the cleaned trotters. Once the tripe is soft, it is spiced with a mild curry mix. Some people prefer the British version of white tripe and onions without any curry but is instead boiled in milk and water and with a thin white sauce. Tripe is usually served with rice or samp.

Biryani is a popular traditional Malay dish. It is usually made with rice and beef mince or chicken, but goat, pork, lamb or seafood can be used. Onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes and sometimes lentils are added. An array of spices, including coriander, saffron, bay leaf, cardamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon are used to flavour the dish.

Biryani is a traditional Indian and Malay dish that takes a lot of time to prepare, but it is well-loved and appreciated by many families. (Source: Pixabay)

Sosaties, elsewhere called kebabs, is another dish of Malay origin. It consists of skewered cubes of beef, lamb, chicken or pork, with or without vegetables, and cooked over hot coals.

Sosaties is a Malay dish that is called kebabs elsewhere. It is made with cubes of meat that are skewered on a stick or metal pin and usually cooked at a braai/barbeque. (Source: https://www.chefspencil.com/top-10-southafrican-dishes/)

Sambals also have their origin in Indonesia and Malaysia and refers to finely diced cucumber, tomato, onion, chili, coriander and lightly spiced. Popular sambals include cucumber with dill, onion, tomato and sweet pepper, and even quince with onion and hot chili. Sambals are a popular light side dish that enhances a cooked meal.

Sambals are prepared with diced vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, onion and garlic, but fresh fruit can also be used. (Source: https://www.chefspencil.com/top-10-south-african-dishes/)

In the next issue of African Cuisine, we shall look at traditional foods of other Southern African countries.

Source references

Richard (n.d.) Granddads Cookbook. https://grandadscookbook.co.uk/tripe-and-onions/

Smith, J. (2023) Top 17 Most Popular South African Foods. https://www.chefspencil.com/top-10-south-african-dishes/

Spiro, J. (2023) Fifteen of South Africa’s most-loved heritage dishes – as voted for by you.

Woolworth Taste https://taste.co.za/15-south-african-heritage-recipes-as-votedfor-by-you/

Southern Africa. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Africa

Van Wyk, M. (1986) Kook Suid-Afrikaans: 200 Tradisionele Resepte. CNA ISBN – 0 620 08398