South Africa: Menu Guide

the appetizer:

South African cuisine has changed from indigenous dependence on wild game, cattle and gathering of foods from the wild, to farming, and cooking styles brought by colonists from Netherlands, Germany France and Britain, as well as immigrants from India. Traditional "Cape Dutch" cookery mixes European cooking with spices like nutmeg, allspice and hot peppers, brought to South Africa from India and Southeast Asia.

South Africa

Menu Guide

Atjar—Pickled fruits and vegetables (Green Bean Atjar and Lemon Atjar)

Beskuit—Hard twice-baked sweet cake (similar to biscotti) typically served with coffee in the morning (English: rusk)

Biltong—Long pieces of meat salted and dried, similar to jerky

Blatjang—Fruit chutney

Bobotie—Chopped or minced beef baked in a curry sauce with raisins and almonds with custard topping

Boerewors—Homemade spiced beef and pork sausage

Braaivleis—Afrikaans word for barbecue

Bredie—Stew

Cape Kedgeree—Fish and rice specialty that originated in India

Caramongscraps—Cardamom and coconut cookies

Chippolata—Tangerine and ginger custard

Chutney—Sweet and sour fruit condiment

Denningvleis—Spiced lamb fricassee

Dutch Chicken Pie—Traditional chicken pot pie topped with crust

Fish Pie—Fish casserole topped with mashed potatoes and baked

Frikkadels—Braised meat patties

Geelrys—Yellow rice with turmeric and raisins

Gesmoorde Hoender—Braised chicken with green chile peppers

Gesmoorde Vis—Salt cod and potatoes with tomatoes

Green Bean Bredie—Traditional mutton and green bean stew served with rice

Hanepoot—local grape eaten raw, dried for raisins, cooked for jam, or used in winemaking

Hoender Pastei—Boer chicken pie with hard-boiled eggs and ham and topped with a crust

Kaffir corn—Grain resembling barley

Kaltschale—Cold buttermilk soup sweetened with cinnamon and nutmeg

Klappertert—Coconut pie

Koeksisters—Braided pastry crullers with cinnamon and lemon syrup

Krakelinge—Figure-8 cookies dusted with sugar and chopped nuts

Mealie Bread—Corn bread

Mealie-pap—Stiff dry corn-meal "porridge" often served instead of bread (a staple starch of native South Africans similar to polenta)

Mealies—Corn

Mechow—Drink made from fermented cornmeal

Melktert—Custard and cinnamon pie

Naartjie—Relative of the tangerine

Rock lobster tail—Regional lobster specialty

Rooibos Tea—Strong herbal tea

Sambal—Condiments served with curries to "cool" them, such as chopped vegatables, chutneys, pickles, and coconut

Soetkoekies—Traditional spice and wine cookies of Dutch origin

Sosaties—Lamb and apricots on a skewer marinated in curry-tamarind sauce

Vetkoek—Fried corn bread

South Africa

South African Recipes

Bobotie (Beef Pie)
Cape Kidgeree (Fish and Rice)
Dried Fruit Chutney
Green Bean Bredie (Lamb and Green Bean Stew)
Green Bean Salad
Green Mango Atjar (Green Mangoes preserved in Spiced Oil)
Green Mealie Bread (Corn Bread)
Hoender Pastei (Boer Chicken Pie)
Klappertert (Coconut Pie)
Mealie Soup (Corn Soup)
Raisin Tart with Sour-Cream Sauce
Rock Lobster Soup
Rock Lobster Tail Salad
Soetkoekies (Spice and Wine Cookies)
Sosaties (Grilled Marinated Meat with Apricots)
Tomato Salad
Yellow Melon Muscadel (Melon Salad)
Yellow Rice

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This page modified January 2007

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the appetizer:

South Africa

Menu Guide

South Africa

South African Recipes

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