South African Recipes
25 recipesSouth African food reflects many peoples sharing one table. Maize, sorghum and beef-keeping traditions of the Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Tswana mix with Dutch and British settler cooking, the spice-rich food of the Cape Malay community, and the curries brought by Indian families in Durban. Maize meal is the everyday staple, cooked into pap and served with a tomato and onion relish or a stew, while the braai (open-fire barbecue) is a weekend ritual built around boerewors, lamb chops and chicken. Dried meat such as biltong feeds road trips and rugby matches. Cape cooking brings sweet and sour balance, with apricot, raisins, turmeric, cinnamon and chutney in dishes like bobotie and sosaties. Sweet things matter: milk tart, malva pudding, koeksisters and rusks are served with tea or coffee. Potjiekos, a stew simmered in a cast iron pot over coals, is the dish for slow Sundays and holidays.
Staple ingredients
- maize meal (pap)
- lamb and beef
- boerewors and biltong
- curry spices and masala
- dried apricots and chutney
- butternut and pumpkin
- samp and beans
- rooibos tea
- Appetizers 1
- Main Dishes 9
- Side Dishes 3
- Breads 2
- Desserts 3
- Snacks 5
- Drinks 1
- Sauces, Dips and Condiments 1
Appetizers
Main Dishes
Bobotie (South African Spiced Meat Bake)ZA1 h 35 minEasy
Bunny Chow (Durban Curry in a Bread Loaf)ZA2 h 5 minMedium
Boerewors Roll (Boerie Roll with Tomato and Onion Relish)ZA45 minEasy
Cape Malay Chicken CurryZA1 h 45 minEasy
Potjiekos (South African Pot Stew)ZA3 hMedium
Sosaties (Cape Malay Apricot Curry Lamb Skewers)ZA1 hEasy
Umngqusho (Samp and Beans)ZA2 h 30 minEasy
Grilled Snoek with Apricot GlazeZA45 minMedium
Tomato Bredie (Cape Lamb and Tomato Stew)ZA2 h 55 minEasy
Side Dishes
Pap (South African Maize Meal Porridge)ZA35 minEasy
Pampoenkoekies (Pumpkin Fritters with Cinnamon Sugar)ZA1 hEasy
Yellow Rice with Raisins (Geelrys)ZA25 minEasy
Breads
Potbrood (South African Pot Bread)ZA1 h 20 minMedium
Roosterkoek (South African Grilled Bread Rolls)ZA50 minMedium
Desserts
Malva Pudding (South African Apricot Sponge Pudding)ZA1 hEasy
Melktert (South African Milk Tart)ZA1 h 40 minMedium
Koeksisters (Afrikaner Syrup-Soaked Braided Doughnuts)ZA1 h 20 minMedium
Snacks
Biltong (South African Dried Cured Beef)ZA30 minMedium
Braaibroodjie (South African Grilled Cheese, Tomato and Onion Sandwich)ZA18 minEasy
Buttermilk Rusks (South African Dunking Biscuits)ZA5 h 30 minEasy
Cape Malay Koesisters (Spiced Coconut Doughnuts)ZA1 h 10 minMedium
Vetkoek (South African Fried Bread with Curried Mince)ZA1 h 30 minMedium
Drinks
Sauces, Dips and Condiments
Common questions
What is South African food known for?
Braaied meat and boerewors, pap with relish, bobotie, bunny chow, biltong and potjiekos stews, plus sweets such as malva pudding, milk tart and koeksisters. The cooking blends African, Dutch, Malay and Indian influences.
What is the national dish of South Africa?
There is no single official dish. Bobotie, a spiced and baked minced meat dish with an egg topping, is often called the national dish, while pap with boerewors off the braai is what most people eat at gatherings.
Is South African food spicy?
Mostly mild to medium. Cape Malay dishes are fragrant rather than hot, and Durban curries can be fiery. Chili usually arrives on the side as a sauce or relish, so you can set the heat yourself.