he cooking of South Africa, often called “rainbow cuisine,” is a mixture of indigenous African dishes, the cooking of Dutch and English settlers and the well spiced foods of Malays, Indians and Indonesians who were brought to South Africa as slaves and servants in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Typical South African Dishes
A list of typical South African dishes and foods. Use it to help you plan a South Arican-style meal, party or festival.
Appetizers
- Peri-Peri Chicken Livers (Spicy chicken livers)
- Samosas (Deep-fried potato pastries)
Soups and Stews
- Green Bean Bredie (Lamb and green bean stew)
- Isophu (Bean and corn soup)
- Tomato Bredie (Lamb and tomato stew)
Salads
- Slaphakskeentjies (Creamy onion salad)
Poultry
- Chicken Curry
- Hoender Pastei (Chicken pie)
- Inyama Yenkukhu (Chicken Casserole)
Meats
- Biltong (Dried beef)
- Bobotie (Curried meat casserole)
- Boerewors (Farmers sausage)
- Frikkadels (Meatballs)
- Green Bean Bredie (Lamb and green bean stew)
- Lamb Biryani (Curried lamb with rice)
- Oxtail Potjie (Oxtails slow-cooked in an iron pot)
- Pofadder (Game sausage)
- Sosaties (Grilled curried meat marinated with apricots)
- Tomato Bredie (Lamb and tomato stew)
Fish and Seafood
- Cape Kidgeree (Fish with rice)
- Gesmoorde Vis (Salt cod with tomatoes and potatoes)
- Rock Lobster
Vegetables and Beans
- Chakalaka (Spicy mixed vegetables)
- Green Bean and Potato Stew
- Ntomo Krakro (Sweet potato fritters)
- Umfino (Wild greens with corn)
- Umngqosho (Grits and blackeyed peas)
Breads and Grains
- Geelrys (Yellow rice with raisins)
- Isidudu (Pumpkin-cornmeal mush)
- Lamb Biryani (Curried lamb with rice)
- Mabela Porridge (Sorghum porridge)
- Mealie Bread (Cornbread)
- Mealie-Meal (Cornmeal mush)
- Ryskluitjies (Rice dumplings)
- Umngqosho (Grits and blackeyed peas)
- Vetkoek (Deep-fried biscuits)
Sauces and Condiments
- Fruit Chutney (Sweet and sour preserved fruit)
- Mango Atchar (Spicy mango pickle)
Desserts
- Klappertert (Coconut pie)
- Malva Pudding (Pudding with brandy sauce)
- Melktert (Custard pie)
- Soetkoekies (Spiced wine cookies)
South African Recipes
Try these recipes from South Africa.
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