Tasting the Rainbow

When it comes to South Africa, we are a nation rich in vibrant cultures, traditions, and flavours.

From the sizzle and aroma of fresh pork chops or boerewors at a Shisanyama to the familiar zing of a bunny chow in the Durban heat – SA is undoubtedly a tapestry of flavours, spices, and history.

Here are five iconic dishes and food traditions to celebrate and try this Heritage Month:

SHISANYAMA

This local tradition takes a twist on the regular braai. ‘Shisa nyama’ is a Zulu slang expression that translates into ‘buy and braai’ and started in the townships as a way for butcheries to increase weekend sales. The tradition has become more than just a weekend special of local butchers. It’s grown into a communal culture that unites people around good food and drinks.

Bring the flavour of shisanyama home and share it with some sizzling meats on the braai, seasoned to perfection, backtracked by the thrumming of Gqom beats and the laughter of good company over a video call.

SOSATIE

This traditional Saffa dish originates from Cape Malay culture and is a braai-time favourite. The name 'sosatie' stems from the terms sate (skewered meat) and saus (spicy sauce).

As its namesake implies, the dish features cubed meat, usually lamb or pork, spread out on a skewer with peppers and dried fruits placed between. The meat chunks are often marinated and left to soak overnight before being grilled to smokey perfection the next day.

CHAKALAKA

Served as the main feature, often cooked into a meat dish, or as a complimentary side dish, Chakalaka is the uniquely South African hot seasoning of choice.

The spicy vegetable stew originated in the late 1800s where mineworkers in Johannesburg would cook up canned produce like tomatoes and beans along with carrots, onions, green peppers, cabbage and hot spices they had at their disposal to pair with pap for a hearty after-work meal. This historical dish has since become a staple of South African culture offered on many local restaurant menus for that taste of home.

BUNNY CHOW

A visit to KwaZulu-Natal would be incomplete without a juicy bunny chow. Traced back to 1940s, nobody knows who first decided to fill a loaf of bread with spicy curry. Some speculate its origins are from Indian sugarcane labourers who created the bunny chow out of convenience for an easily disposable way to carry lunch to work.

Bread was more practical and also more easily accessible than rotis and became a substitute. The term bunny chow itself stems from a Bengalese term ‘bania’ which refers to merchants who sold curry and ‘chow’ which is local South African slang for food. But whichever way the bunny chow did come into our lives, it’s certainly a dish that demands remembrance with its heated and lingering post-chow sting.

BOBOTIE

This Cape Malay dish is deeply woven into the fabric of South African history. Its origins are unclear, but many historians trace it back to 17th Century Indonesia, believing it branches off the Indonesian dish ‘Bobotok’ or ‘Botok’ which consists of shredded coconut, bay leaves, and vegetables. Others speculate it stems from the Malayan word ‘boemboe’ which means curry spices.

Once reaching SA shores, the recipe was morphed by the fusion flavour ways of our local Cape Malay community into the Bobotie we know and love today, incorporating ground meat, curry spices, and egg custard.

MILK TART = MELKTERT

And a Heritage month would not be the same without the bouncy, creamy goodness of a classic Saffa milk tert. This sweet mix of Dutch and Cape Malay culture combined birthed one of our nation’s most iconic dessert dishes or teatime treats. Brought to SA back in the 1600s by Dutch settlers, the dessert is said to originate from ‘Mattentaart’ which is a Dutch-Flemish curd-type cake, in which a buttermilk custard is wrapped in puff pastry. This pastry was then likely adapted based on ingredient accessibility in SA and tweaked with a dusting of Cape Malay flair by adding a sprinkle cinnamon powder atop the milky treat. It’s the perfect way to close off a Heritage Day meal while soaking in a timeless SA sunset.

These six iconic local dishes will take you on a journey of South African flavours and history and are the epitome of the diverse, rich, and overlapping heritages that define our rainbow nation and its spreading roots.

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