Food and Wine in South Africa
Dining in South Africa is as diverse and colorful as the country itself. A well-prepared local meal can be a highlight of your trip to South Africa. Many restaurants specialize in the cuisine of the continent and serve a good variety of traditional African dishes.
Trying some delicious traditional African food should be part of every visitor’s itinerary. A number of specialized restaurants in South Africa do an excellent job of serving both modern and traditional African food. Each dish reflects one or more of the different cultural influences found across the continent.
Traditional African food is generally cooked over an open fire or in a three-legged pot (or potjie), so meat tends to be served in either stewed or grilled form. A starch usually accompanies the meat: mieliepap (maize porridge), potatoes or rice. Beetroot, carrots, cabbage and pumpkin are the vegetables most commonly served. Typical South African dishes include morogo, chakalaka, amadumbe, and the ubiquitous boerewors roll.
Morogo is a type of wild spinach. Combined with butter-braised onions and tomato or mixed into maize porridge, it is a rural ingredient with mainstream appeal. Amadumbe is a sweet potato and peanut mash. A tasty restaurant variation of the dish is to cook sweet potatoes, mash them with butter and sprinkle them with roasted peanuts, topped off with a drizzle of honey.
Chakalaka is a spicy relish served alongside a main course and consists of grated carrots, green peppers, sliced onion, vinegar, chilli and that secret ingredient that will distinguish it from anyone else’s.
The boerewors roll is pure South African cuisine – our tastier answer to New York’s hot dogs. At a roadside stand, boerewors (a variety of spicy sausage) is char-grilled over an open-flame then placed into a bun and covered in mustard and tomato sauce.
Other local favorites include a wide variety of delectable Cape Malay dishes, biltong and sweet delicacies such as the koeksister and melktert. Cape Malay cuisine is a delicious fusion of Asian, European and African food genres or enjoy a South African braii (barbecue).
Wine Routes of South Africa
South Africa boasts 18 official wine routes and 2 brandy routes – 99% of them in the country’s wine capital – the Western Cape.
Each of South Africa’s wine routes exhibits its own personality. If you’re a serious wine buff you’ll want to delve into the intricacies of terroir, appellations and labels. Or like most of us you’ll visit a couple of estates, swoon over the gorgeous award-winning wine, buy more than you meant to, and then reward yourself further with a long delicious lunch in the warm Cape sunshine.
The most popular wine routes are those in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl, with Robertson and Durbanville areas emerging as new favorites.
Anytime is wine route time. In summer and autumn, the vineyards are most scenic and in winter you’ll avoid the crowds. Harvest is generally January – March. There are major auctions and regional wine festivals happening throughout the year, as well as special events organized by wine estates.