Southern Africa
Food of South Africa
The 7 most iconic national dishes of South Africa — real photos, key ingredients and tasty facts behind every plate.
Africa
Bobotie
A Cape Malay-influenced baked mince dish seasoned with curry spices and topped with a savoury egg custard. It is sweet-savoury, warmly spiced and usually served with yellow rice.
Did you know?
Bobotie is often called South Africa’s national dish, and its roots trace back to Dutch settlers at the Cape adapting Southeast Asian-influenced flavours.
Braai
Braai is South Africa’s beloved style of cooking meat over open coals, as much a social ritual as a meal. Expect smoky boerewors, chops or chicken with simple, robust seasoning.
Did you know?
South Africa even marks Heritage Day informally as National Braai Day, celebrating the braai as a shared national tradition.
Bunny chow
A hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with richly spiced curry, most famously in Durban. The soft bread soaks up the sauce, making it hearty, messy and deeply satisfying.
Did you know?
Despite the name, bunny chow contains no rabbit; the term is widely linked to Durban’s Indian community and the dish’s street-food origins.
Boerewors
Boerewors is a coiled South African sausage, usually grilled at a braai until juicy and browned. It is meaty, peppery and seasoned with warm spices like coriander and clove.
Did you know?
Traditional boerewors has legally defined standards in South Africa, including minimum meat content and limits on fillers.
Pap
Pap is a maize porridge that can be soft, crumbly or stiff, and it is a staple across much of South Africa. Its mild flavour makes it the perfect partner for tomato relish, chakalaka or grilled meat.
Did you know?
Different textures of pap have distinct names in South Africa, such as soft slap pap and firmer stywe pap.
Malva pudding
Malva pudding is a soft, spongy baked dessert with a caramelised flavour, typically served warm with cream or custard. A hot buttery sauce is poured over it, giving it its signature richness and moisture.
Did you know?
The exact origin of malva pudding is debated, but it became a classic of Cape Dutch home cooking and restaurant menus alike.
Waterblommetjiebredie
An old Cape stew made with the edible flower buds of the water hawthorn, simmered with meat. It is a strongly seasonal specialty linked to the Western Cape.
Did you know?
The dish is so tied to local wetlands and winter harvests that it is considered a classic regional Cape delicacy.