South African cuisine reflects the diverse range of culinary traditions embodied by the various communities that inhabit the country. Today, South Africans enjoy not only beef, but mutton, goat, chicken and other meats as a centerpiece of a meal.
Among the indigenous peoples of South Africa, the Khoisan foraged over 300 species of edible food plants, whose culinary value continues to exert a salient influence on South African cuisine. By the 17th century, Dutch and British foodways brought via European immigration resulted in further culinary diffusion.
Following the end of apartheid, South African cuisine witnessed a renaissance, with diverse culinary options available in most of the country's major cities catering to tourists, expatriates and local residents.
South Africa was a colony of the British Empire and has strong influences from United Kingdom. Meat pies and other savoury pies are readily available at most grocery stores and many petrol stations.
A Look at South African Biscuit Varieties
South Africa offers a delightful array of biscuits, each with its unique history and flavor profile. Here are some of the most beloved types:
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Romany Creams
These Romany Creams are a classic South African sandwich cookie. Two chocolate coconut biscuits are sandwiched with creamy milk chocolate filling. As soon as I saw the recipe on Tandy's blog for Romany Creams I knew that I had to make them.
Originally Romany Creams were based on a cookie called Gypsy Creams with a similar biscuit but white cream to sandwich the halves together but it wasn't a great seller. Pyott's biscuits was a South African biscuit company originally founded by a Scotsman John Pyott.
In 1965 his son Ian was in charge and he changed the biscuit and made the filling chocolate. Pyott's had a relationship with Cadbury who many say encouraged this filling change to chocolate. The biscuits were named Romany Creams as a nod to the heritage of Gypsy Creams and the Romany travelling community.
Nina is South African so when I made a batch of these I asked her to test them out. Tandy's recipe was straightforward although I adjusted it a bit. My mixture was very sticky so I added more flour and I changed the chocolate filling to be milk chocolate rather than Tandy's dark chocolate, just because I love the milk chocolate filling of a Kingston biscuit. I had so many comments on the filling from everyone that received it. I also gave a batch to Mr NQN's colleague Ruslan and his wife Anastasia. They've recently moved to Australia from Russia and they had to leave their little dog behind. They were very eager to look after Mochi. Like most parents I find Mochi highly entertaining - I think she is so cheeky and funny she could headline a performance at the Enmore Theatre. Mochi loves staying with them. When I gave them the cookies, I wasn't sure how they would like them. But he sent me a message shortly after, "Did you cook these cookies yourself?
So make these cookies for friends or family or anyone you want to say thank you to. This recipe makes a lot of them so it makes enough for you and lots of friends. So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried a Romany Cream biscuit?
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Koeksisters
Koeksisters come in two forms and are a sweet delicacy among all South Africans. Afrikaans koeksisters are twisted pastries, deep fried and strongly sweetened.
Mosbolletjies
Mosbolletjies are a sweet bun made with aniseed and a grape juice leavening agent from the wine-making region of South Africa.
Pampoenkoekies (Pumpkin Fritters)
Pampoenkoekies are fritters where flour has been supplemented with or replaced by pumpkin.
The Ancient and Beloved Cookie Recipe
This is an ancient and very beloved cookie recipe in South Africa. My grandmother made these in large quantities before the December beach holidays. Remember, it's summer then, down here! There are slight variations on this recipe, as is usual with traditional recipes.
There could be a Dutch influence here, sort of mixed with Malay (think Dutch Speculaas biscuits). In the old days this cookie was always made with butter and soft, rendered pork or mutton fat, but I have since found out it's not that easy for US cooks to find such fat to render. The dough should be rolled out really thinly -- about 1/6th of an inch -- to get a crispy cookie. Please note that baking time is about 7 mins.
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South African Cuisine Influences
In the precolonial period, indigenous cuisine was characterised by the use of a very wide range of foods including fruits, nuts, bulbs, leaves and other products gathered from wild plants and by the hunting of wild game. The pre-colonial diet consisted primarily of cooked grains, especially sorghum and millet, fermented milk (somewhat like yogurt) and roasted or stewed meat.
People also kept sheep and goats, and communities often organised vast hunts for the abundant game, but the beef was considered the absolutely most important and high-status meat. In many ways, the daily food of South African families can be traced to the indigenous foods that their ancestors ate.
A typical meal in a Bantu-speaking, South African household is a stiff, fluffy porridge of maize meal (called pap, and very similar to American grits) with a flavorful stewed meat gravy. Traditional rural families (and many urban ones) often ferment their pap for a few days-especially if it is sorghum instead of maize-which gives it a tangy flavour.
Vegetables used are often some sort of pumpkin, varieties of which are indigenous to South Africa, although now many people eat pumpkins that originated in other countries. Rice and beans are also very popular although they are not indigenous.
The Khoisan ate roasted meat, and they also dried meat for later use. The influence of their diet is reflected in the common Southern African love of barbecue (generally called in South Africa by its Afrikaans name, a braai) and biltong (dried preserved meat).
On weekends, many South African families have a braai, and the meal usually consists of pap en vleis, which is maize meal and grilled meat. In Bantu culture, for weddings, initiations, the arrival of family members after a long trip and other special occasions, families will buy a live animal and slaughter it at home, and then prepare a large meal for the community or neighbourhood.
Participants often say that spilling the blood of the animal on the ground pleases the ancestors who invisibly gather around the carcass. On holiday weekends, entrepreneurs will set up pens of live animals along the main roads of townships-mostly sheep and goats-for families to purchase, slaughter, cook and eat.
A very distinctive regional style of South African cooking is often referred to as "Cape Dutch". This cuisine is characterised mainly by the usage of spices such as nutmeg, allspice and chili peppers.
Of the many dishes common to South Africa, bobotie is perhaps closest to being the national dish, because it is not commonly found in any other country. The recipe originates from the Dutch East India Company colonies in Batavia, with the name derived from the Indonesian bobotok. It is also made with curry powder, leaving it with a slight tang.
Curried dishes are popular in South Africa among people of all ethnic origins; many dishes came to the country with the thousands of Indian indentured labourers brought to South Africa in the nineteenth century. Bunny chow, a dish from Durban ("the largest 'Indian' city outside of India"), consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry, has been adapted into mainstream South African cuisine.
Traditional beer was brewed from local grains, especially sorghum. Unlike European beer, South African traditional beer was unfiltered and cloudy and had a low alcohol content. Comparable to an American or western European diet, milk and milk products are very prominent in the traditional Black South African diet. As cows were considered extremely desirable domestic animals in precolonial times, milk was abundant.
In the absence of refrigeration, various kinds of soured milk, somewhat like yogurt, were a dietary mainstay. South Africa can be said to have a significant "eating out" culture. There is also a proliferation of fast-food restaurants in South Africa.
While some international players such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's are active in the country, they face stiff competition from local chains such as Nando's, Galito's, Steers, Chicken Licken, Barcelos, Fat Cake City and King Pie.
ROMANY CREAMS BISCUITS
Romany Creams Recipe
Ingredients:
- 125mls/4flozs.
- 250g/8.8ozs.
- 150g/5ozs.
- 340g/12ozs.
- 135g/4.8ozs.
- 400g/14ozs.
Instructions:
- Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line four trays with parchment. Dissolve cocoa in hot water and set aside to cool. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Add the cocoa mixture and beat for 1 minute.
- Step 2 - Scoop out small balls the size of gobstoppers. Flatten with a fork dipped in flour and make sure they're spaced about 1.5 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes or so-these are best when they are crisp and baking time depends on how big you've made them but make sure to bake them til crisp and slightly browned at the edges because they're best that way and don't really crisp up further on cooling that much. Cool for 5 minutes then place on cooling rack.
- Step 3 - Melt the milk chocolate and coconut oil together until smooth. The trick to filling these is to set the chocolate until spreadable and not too runny. Allow to set in the fridge.
