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About SA - Food

Food and Drink

Food is probably one of the uniting features of South Africa. Apart from Haute Cuisine, South Africans pretty much enjoy the same kind of food — braais (barbeques — prounounced 'bri' as in 'bright'), and stews. South African food is quite basic, and is oriented around meat and starch. It is not uncommon for a family of four to have a boerewors each (farmer's beef sausage, pronounced 'boor-er-vors'), a steak each, a lamb chop each, a half-rack of pork ribs each, and a spatchcock chicken, in one meal, along with braaied potatoes or mielies (corn on the cob, pronounced 'mee-lees'). South Africans also love beer — lager, specifically.

South Africans also drink something called Mageu ('muh-HHeyo') — a kind of sour milk, and milk stout (milk beer). South Africans do drink wine, preferring it in a cardboard box with a tap, so it can be dispensed conveniently and in large quantities at a braai. South Africa has been a wine farming country for centuries; in the 1600s, French Huguenots settled in the Cape, establishing the wine farms that still exist today. As a result, many Afrikaners (Dutch descendants), for example, Charlize Theron, have French surnames. One of the things that wealthier South Africans do is drive the "Cape Wine Route". The scenery is mountainous, beautiful, and well worth it.

Many South African dishes are Cape Malay in origin, e.g., Koeksisters ('cook-sisters', Lit.: cake-sisters) — a deep-fried, ginger syrup-steeped twisted doughnut, Bobotie ('boo-boor-tee') — a yellow-curried cottage pie with sultanas, baked with a thin omelette custard and bay leaf topping, and Sosaties ('soo-sar-tees') — spicy kebabs. Other dishes are from the Trekboers. For example, Melktert (milktart, pronounced 'melk-tatt' - but don't forget to roll the R) — this is a sweet, milky, creamy custard tart sprinkled with cinnamon, and served cold for tea. There is also potjiekos (Lit.: small pot food, pronounced 'poy-kee-korss'), and biltong — dried, spiced raw beef. If you aren't a vegetarian, trying biltong or droëwors (dried sausage, pronounced 'droo-er-vors') is a mandatory part of the South African experience.

Smoking and Drinking in Public

You may generally smoke out-of-doors, e.g., outside a mall, away from the doorways, or in a private house or its garden, or inside a restaurant's designated smoking area, or in a park. Other than that, you should assume that you may not smoke. You should be especially careful of smoking in game parks and protected areas. This has caused some fires and substantial damage, resulting in destruction of valuable natural resources and enormous fines for the offender. Do not toss your cigarette butt out of your car window; South Africa generally has large areas of dry grass fields ("veld" — pronounced 'felt') next to the road, and it catches fire easily, especially in winter. You are advised not to smoke in rented cars as you may be liable for any damage to the vehicle.

You may only drink in a restaurant, nightclub, bar, or private home. You may not consume alcohol in the street, or in a mall's corridor, or in a park (without permission). Venue proprietors have the right to evict persons who are inebriated or refuse to serve them. You may not drink and drive. Passages taken with permission from "An Insider's Guide to Johannesburg" by J. M. Ostrowick

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