A Short Guide To South African Food - Page 2

Coming to South Africa soon and never tasted our food? Car Rental South Africa is here to give you a crash course (excuse the pun) in all the best South African food has to offer, so you'll know the difference between boerewors and a koeksister when you get here!

Due to its diverse and colourful mix of cultures the food of South Africa offers unique variety and flavor you won't find anywhere else in the world. Take a few minutes to read a bit of background information on our traditional foods and be sure to taste some, if not all, when you are visiting our beautiful country. Here we go, the Car Rental South Africa Guide to Traditional South African Food:

Biltong

Biltong is another traditional firm favourite amongst the locals and is a snack food consisting of dried, cured meat. The type of meat varies, anything from beef, to ostrich, to game meat such as kudu is used to produce biltong. The meat is prepared by soaking in vinegar before being flavoured with a spice mixture consisting of salt, pepper, whole coriander and sugar. Other ingredients may be used in the preparation of the biltong, such as ground chili, to give a different flavor to the end product.

There are many different varieties of biltong including chicken and fish (referred to as bokkoms) and can be bought as a single piece sliced in a packet to make it easier to eat. Biltong is a common snack food in South Africa and will be often be served alongside chips and side dishes when watching sporting events or at a braai. It is in some ways comparable to beef jerky though biltong generally tends to be a thicker cut of meat and the spicing and curing process lend to a difference in flavor. If you are intending a visit to South Africa biltong can be bought at most supermarkets, vendors and specialist stores, so you don't have any excuse for not giving it a try!

Melktert or Milk Tart

Milk tart (literally translated from the Afrikaans "melktert") is a sweet desert or tea tart consisting of a pastry crust filled with a filling of milk, sugar, flour and eggs. Cinnamon is often sprinkled on the top of the custard filling to further enhance the flavor.

The origins of milk tart are thought to be of Dutch origins, and is an evolution of an earlier recipe most likely brought by Dutch settlers. The Cape Malay people of the Western Cape region adapted the recipe making it their own and it has become a firm favourite throughout the country. You should be able to find it on the menu at most tea gardens and coffee shops throughout the country and is a great accompaniment to a cup of your favourite brew!

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos Tea is another South African favourite, though you may know it as redbush tea or red tea, as it is called in other countries. The herbal tea has been popular in South Africa for many years but recently has begun to spread to other regions throughout the world. The tea is derived from one of the many plants of South African fynbos, having the scientific name Aspalathus linearis. It has become popular as health drink

Unlike normal black tea, the tea most people would normally drink at home, Rooibos Tea is not drunk with milk. Commonly it is preferred to flavour the tea using with lemon, honey or sugar. In some more contemporary coffee shops you may also find a form of espresso made using concentrated rooibos and served in the traditional style of an espresso coffee. If you've never tried it and are a tea-lover or person who enjoys healthy, natural living be sure to order yourself a cup of rooibos which you should find on the menu of just about any coffee shop or tea room in South Africa

Koeksisters

Koeksisters are another of South Africa's sweet, desert or tea-time treats. There are two distinctly different recipes for koeksisters, one used by the Cape Malay and the other by the Afrikaans community. The basic koeksister is a deep-fried sweet similar to a doughnut with the Cape Malay version being slightly spicier and covered in coconut whilst the Afrikaner version is coated in a sugar syrup. Koeksisters are generally eaten cold and the syrup coated versions are incredibly sweet and sticky. They often come in the form of a braided or twisted dough form, so be on the look out when visiting and be sure to buy one. Just be sure to watch your hands afterwards because they are sticky!

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