7 Authentic South African Foods

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As I arrived in the beautiful South Africa, I was faced with a totally new environment. One of the best way to adapt to it was to arrive embracing the culture and explore the real South Africa; not just visiting the different tourist spots but by also exploring their authentic South African dishes. Here are some of the authentic South African food, snacks and drink that I’ve tried and fell in love with as I explored South Africa.

1. Biltong

Biltong is a variety of cured meat. It is normally made of beef and game meats. It is similar to the American beef jerky in that they are both spiced, dried meats. Biltongs are widely available everywhere in South Africa and a perfect authentic snack food! I also tried the spicy biltong and it was also nice.

2. Droëwors (dri-vors)

Another authentic snack food along with Biltong is this one. Made by drying a thinner variant of traditional boerewors sausage. Although pork is essential in Boerewors, pork and veal normally go rancid when dried so they are usually replaced by beef.

3. Boerewors (Boo-ro-vors)

South Africans love to Braai ( South African term for BBQ) and a braai is not complete without the Boerewors. Boer means farmer and wors means sausage. What makes this sausage so delicious are the spices put into it. The best sausage in the world!

4. Bobotie

A traditional South African dish that originated from the Cape Malay cuisine. This dish is normally made out of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. Bobotie is nice with chutney along with salad and a yellow rice.

5. Koeksisters (kook-sisters)

This delicious South African sweet piece of dough is usually in the shape of a plait, that is deep fried in oil and then dipped in a cold syrup mixture. Koeksisters are very rich and are usually served as a special treat or kept for festive occasions.

6. MilkTert (milk tart)

It is a sweet pastry crust containing a creamy filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs. Cinnamon is often sprinkled over its surface. Yum! Normally, you can enjoy milk tart on its own. One time, we tried pairing it with strawberries and cream on the side of the plate and it was divine! Try it!

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melktert

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7. Rooibos Tea (Roi-bos)

An authentic South African tea with a lot of health benefits is Rooibos tea or what they call red bush tea. This tea is believed to be so rich in anti-oxidants that makes this a favorite tea drink of the South Africans.