No matter where you’re from, food has an intrinsic way of taking your hand and guiding you on a stroll down memory lane. It often even provides the comforting, sweet taste of home.
My friends who live abroad – when asked what they miss about SA – always mention food. Things like: I can’t get “Mrs Balls Chutney in Australia!” Or, “I miss the taste of real boerewors” and “whenever I drink Coke I crave a giant packet of NikNaks”.
So I imagine there will be serious cases of FOMO when we all celebrate Heritage Day this month. I am super excited – we’ve already started featuring and sharing a few of our favourite braai recipes to get you all in a “Proudly South African” mood.
Our cuisine is marked by such diversity that it’s hard to pinpoint what makes it truly South African. So it may be a cliché but “melting pot” really is the best description.
To demonstrate this, I asked the Food24 team to share their favourite South African food. Cath says she loves umphokoqo – hot with lots of butter, milk and sugar – which she used to eat as a small child growing up in the Eastern Cape. Jess, our intern loves a snoek braai with apricot jam in summer on the west coast. Danielle enjoys a “lekker” Lamb potjie when she’s with friends and family and Cathy loves biltong and toasted cheese sandwiches with Mrs. Balls Chutney.
Shaina, our American expat says that her favourite SA food is any seasonal produce. According to her we have some of the most amazing fruit and vegetables – with butternut and avocado being “outrageously delicious”. And it seems Jamie Oliver is also a fan of our food. Did you see his Instagram of a milk tart?
Our site is jam packed with gorgeous recipes that scream, ‘Mzansi’… like waterblommetjie bredie, Malva pudding, Bobotie, Chakalaka, dhaltjies, koeksisters, samoosas, gatsbies, boerewors rolls, Cape Malay curry and so much more.
Don’t let this overwhelm you though when you start planning your menu for Heritage Day. Have you seen our top 10 South African dessert recipes? Or our list of 3 Pinotages for Heritage month? I simply can’t resist bookmarking this Biltong and blue cheese salad recipe – perfect for a Spring lunch
What’s your favourite way to celebrate SA? Tell us on Twitter @Food24
and you could WIN a copy of Traditional South African Cooking.