5 "Local" Foods That Aren't Actually From Around Here
From 7-Colours all the way to Braai meat, South Africa comes packed with flavor exploration. With over eleven official languages and cultures from around the world, it’s no wonder that the food here is as diverse as it is tantalizing.
Today, we’re about to ruin a few mindsets toward South African food, laying the truth about some of the most loved dishes around town. When enjoying your next meal and biting into something local, maybe consider some of the history of where it came from and appreciate the diversity of our country!
Biryani or “Briani”
A mixed rice dish from the South Asian Muslim community, Biryani is a common food you can get at your local Indian restaurant.
Made from a cacophony of spices, vegetables, rice, and a type of meat (and sometimes egg) its delicious authentically Indian flavors really do resonate with the spice seekers in South Africa. There is often a mistake that we make when comparing a similar dish that is in fact local.
The misconception that occurs is usually thinking that Biryani and Babotie (when served with rice) are the same thing. This isn’t the case though. With many Cape Malay descendants residing in South Africa, Biryani was carried over from South Asia and not developed locally (unlike Babotie).
Peri-Peri Chicken
That’s right folks, your favourite Nando’s chicken isn’t a South African delicacy.
Peri-Peri sauce (the main component other than the chicken itself) originally came from the Portuguese and their mixing of other ingredients with the Peri-Peri pepper (otherwise known as the Bishop’s crown).
Coming from their home in Europe to the Southern region of Africa, the Portuguese brought lots of dishes, ingredients, and methods straight to SA.
Slap some of this spicy sauce on a chicken and you’re good to go!
Fun fact: Nandos isn’t as big in South Africa as it is in the UK. The British love themselves a cheeky Nandos.
Mielie Meal & Pap
Ah, a staple in every South African’s diet not officially created here.
Once again carried over by the Portuguese, maize meal (a course version of maize flour) was carried over from the Americas through the Portuguese trade. The dish we all know as Pap, was originally used by the Voortrekkers due to its long shelf life and was soon adopted throughout the whole of South Africa.
Farming of maize took off in SA though, as we are a huge cultivator for the product itself. No wonder there’s so much of it around.
Dish Recommendation: “Milho Frito,” is a deep-fried and herb-filled version of pap that is as crunchy as it is delicious!
Samoosas.
Taking it back to Indian cuisine, the loved and cherished triangle sold by sidewalk vendors, or at any café is also carried over from Asia. Samoosas are known as Samosas on their home turf and pronounced “Sa – Mow – sah.”
Filled with various spices and meat, covered in a pastry, and deep-fried, these bad boys go hand in hand with visits to the beach or dipped in any sweet sauce.
Zamalek (Black Label Beer)
This one may hurt some of us. Our proud, hearty beer is actually Canadian.
As South Africans nothing compares to a cold Zamalek and a braai while watching the Chiefs and Pirates square off. Despite it being a part of our local culture, Black Label is in fact a Canadian beer created by the Carling Company.
Being the first official beer to be manufactured on an international level, Black Label came to our shores, is brewed locally, and sold internationally.
That’s all folks.
With some of these insights into foods that we consume on a daily basis, let’s appreciate the cultures that culminate in South Africa and give us such an awesome variety of things to choose from!
Which one shocked you the most?
