Tasting the origins of the Cape of Good Food

From the hot spices of the east, the textured tastes of Africa, and the rich creamy tastes of Europe, Cape Town can count on something tasty to be available.
Take all these flavours and wash it down with some of the Cape’s most celebrated wines and you have yourself a good a meal that is unique to this region and -in its diversity of food- maybe to the world. This is what South African and Cape Town boasts.

One nation, a whole lot of tastes
All the different people in South Africa have their own cuisine. The Afrikaners with their taste for things sweet to the Xhosas with delicacies like umngqusho (oohm-nqoo-sho) – a meal consisting of samp and cowpeas and amanqina- pronounced (“ama-nqi-na!”, note in both cases the emphasis falling on the “q” as one of the clicks) .
Simple cooking
The food though is indicative of the environment, people use the available ingredients- which are often sparse- to cook up feasts for their families. In the absence of modern equipment we experiment- you don’t need to tell a cook in the most rural areas of South Africa about using measuring cups- everything comes naturally, through trial and error.

Malay style
The Cape Malays, most that were brought as slaves to the Cape from the Dutch colony of Batavia (Java) in 1657, also brought with them the spices used in modern Cape cuisine. Word got out amongst the Dutch colonists that the Malays were good cooks; soon they were working in their kitchens fusing European dishes with spices from the East. Today they’ve influenced South African cooking through the use of spices.

Something spicy
Malay food is synonymous with various flavours due to the masalas- mixtures of spices and sweet little delights that must’ve electrified the usually staid European palates at the Cape when they first tasted it in Cape Town.

What does it taste like?
Many food favourites amongst the Capetonians such as fish paste (a spread made from pilchards) may be an acquired taste for the more adventurous. Now if only someone could start a health food movement in South Africa.
South Africans though are quite adventurous when it comes to food and are adept at experimenting. Settlers often had an influence on the cuisine of a particular region where they chose to settle in the country.

Apart from the top cuisine in restaurants, we hereby provide a first insight in (Some of) Cape Town’s original food treats

Gatsby
The Gatsby is to Cape Town what the hotdog is to New York, fast to prepare, inexpensive and very tasty. It consists of a French loaf stuffed with hot chips, French polony and a salad dressing. A trip to Cape Town is not complete without feasting on this local delicacy, check out the best spot for a Gatsby in Cape Town- Golden Dish in Athlone.

Amanqina (“ama-nqi-na!”)
This traditional Xhosa meal, originating from the Eastern Cape consists of a hoof from a cow, pig or sheep that is boiled, and then spiced for taste. It is very delicious but sticky.

Traditiona Bobotie

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- very delicious.

Boerewors
A traditional spicy South African sausage made of beef or lamb. Boerewors is popular at open-air braais (barbecues) - where it is grilled over charcoal. South Africa even has a Boerewors champion- who can prepare the best Boerewors on braai. Last year’s champion just happened to be a black lady from the south of Johannesburg.

Frikkadel
Traditional South African meat balls made from tomatoes, onion, minced beef and other ingredients, and shaped into round balls. Not to be mistaken with the Dutch ‘frikandel’

Chakalaka
A salad of Indian / Malay origin made of onion, garlic, ginger, green pepper, carrots and cauliflower spiced with chillies and curry.

Koeksusters (Koeksister)
This traditional Afrikaner plaited dough cookie is syrupy, sweet, and sticky in taste. The Cape Malays who invented the koeksister make a variety that’s less sweet and covered with refined coconut. What also differentiates it from the Afrikaner koeksuster is that it’s not twisted. It should be interesting to note that Afrikaner separatists in Orania recently erected a statue of a koeksuster- claiming it as their national heritage.

Pap
Boiled corn meal, often served with sous - a sauce, usually featuring tomato and onions. It also sometimes features sausage- Pap en Wors. This meal is the staple food in most Southern African countries including South Africa.

Samoosas
The samoosas is a small, spicy, triangular-shaped pie that has been deep-fried in oil. Made by the Indian and Malay communities, samoosas are popular with South Africans in general as a quick snack. It takes special skills to prepare a samoosas.

Snoek
This is a popular and tasty fish, caught off the Cape coast and often eaten smoked. If you're lucky, you may get to experience a snoek braai - a real South African treat.

Skop (Smiley)
Skop or Smiley is a head of a cow, sheep or goat. It got its name of “smiley” due to the fact that rural Afrikaners believed that it smiled due to all its teeth being visible after preparation. \The head is first scrubbed with a sharp instrument like a razor to remove skin and unwanted parts like ears and the nose are then cut out. The head is then boiled and allowed to simmer. Afrikaner men, especially those living in rural areas prefer this, sometimes though it might be the head of a pig- stuffed with all sort vegetables, basically anything that catches the imagination.

Umngqusho
A delicacy among the Xhosa people, this is samp (maize kernels) mixed with beans. It is boiled over three hours then mixed with beans. Salt and oil are then added and the dish is allowed to simmer. One secret though is to feast on umngqusho a day after it’s been cooked.

Additional info by www.southafrica.info