Top 10 South African Foods

Boerewors ("farmer's sausage") is South Africa's most iconic food product, a coiled sausage made from at least 90% beef (or a beef-pork mix) seasoned with coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, whose recipe is legally protected under South African food standards regulations. Over 100 million kilograms of boerewors are consumed annually in South Africa, and the sausage has a dedicated global following among the South African diaspora in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. A "braai" without boerewors is considered culturally incomplete.

Bunny chow is a Durban street-food staple with origins in the city's Indian community — a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry (mutton, chicken, or bean) that is eaten by hand from the bread bowl. The dish was reportedly created in the 1940s as a convenient lunch for Indian laborers who were barred from apartheid-era restaurant seating. Durban today is home to the world's largest Indian diaspora outside India, and bunny chow has become the city's most famous culinary export, inspiring restaurants as far afield as London and Toronto.

Bobotie is South Africa's unofficial national dish — a fragrant baked mince casserole of Cape Malay origin, seasoned with curry powder, turmeric, dried apricots, and bay leaves, topped with a savory egg custard. The dish is thought to have been introduced to the Cape by Indonesian and Malaysian slaves in the 17th century and has been a staple of Afrikaner home cooking for centuries. Bobotie was included in a United Nations cookbook celebrating global culinary diversity and is the dish most often cited by South African expats as the taste of home.

Biltong is a dried, cured meat snack — typically beef, game, or ostrich — that serves as South Africa's answer to jerky, though the curing process using vinegar, salt, and spices produces a distinctly richer flavor and tender texture. The biltong industry generates over R4 billion ($210 million) in annual retail sales in South Africa, and diaspora demand has driven a substantial export market to the UK (where it is sold in Tesco and Marks & Spencer) and Australia. South Africa produces some of the world's finest game biltong from springbok, kudu, and impala.

Pap en vleis ("porridge and meat") is the soul food of South Africa, a dish rooted in Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho home cooking that consists of stiff maize porridge (pap) served with a tomato-onion gravy and grilled or stewed meat. It is the most widely consumed home-cooked meal in South Africa across all communities and income levels, appearing at every braai alongside wors as a side dish. The term "pap en wors" (porridge and sausage) is synonymous with the communal braai experience.

Malva pudding is South Africa's most beloved dessert — a warm, spongy baked apricot pudding of Cape Dutch origin that is drenched in a hot cream-and-butter sauce immediately upon leaving the oven, creating an impossibly moist, sticky confection. It is the most commonly ordered dessert in South African restaurants across every price category and is served at every formal Afrikaner occasion from weddings to funerals. Woolworths Food sells over 500,000 Malva puddings annually, making it one of their best-selling food products.

Sosaties are South African kebabs of Cape Malay origin — cubes of marinated lamb, chicken, or pork threaded on skewers with dried apricots, onion, and peppers and grilled over the braai fire. The marinade, made from fried onions, curry leaves, apricot jam, and vinegar, gives sosaties their characteristic sweet-sour-spiced flavor profile that distinguishes them from Middle Eastern or Greek kebabs. They are one of the most popular items at South African braais and are a staple of the Cape Malay "boeber" and "Eid" feasting traditions.

Chakalaka is a spicy South African vegetable relish made from onions, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, and curry powder, typically served cold as a side dish at braais or with pap. Its exact origin is disputed — some historians credit it to Johannesburg's mining compounds where workers combined canned ingredients from different cultures — but it is now a beloved staple at every South African supermarket and butchery. The Koo brand's canned chakalaka is one of the top-selling food products in South Africa.

Koeksisters are Afrikaner confections of twisted fried dough, plaited into a braid shape and soaked immediately in ice-cold sugar syrup to create a crispy exterior and hyper-sweet, syrup-saturated interior. They are a staple of church fundraiser bake sales ("kerkbasaar") and supermarket bakeries across South Africa and are one of the most culturally specific Afrikaner baked goods. A distinct Cape Malay version — the "koesister" — is a round, coconut-dusted, cardamom-spiced doughnut sold on Sundays in Cape Town's Bo-Kaap neighborhood.

Boerewors ("farmer's sausage") is South Africa's most iconic food product, a coiled sausage made from at least 90% beef (or a beef-pork mix) seasoned with coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, whose recipe is legally protected under South African food standards regulations. Over 100 million kilograms of boerewors are consumed annually in South Africa, and the sausage has a dedicated global following among the South African diaspora in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. A "braai" without boerewors is considered culturally incomplete.

Bunny chow is a Durban street-food staple with origins in the city's Indian community — a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry (mutton, chicken, or bean) that is eaten by hand from the bread bowl. The dish was reportedly created in the 1940s as a convenient lunch for Indian laborers who were barred from apartheid-era restaurant seating. Durban today is home to the world's largest Indian diaspora outside India, and bunny chow has become the city's most famous culinary export, inspiring restaurants as far afield as London and Toronto.

Bobotie is South Africa's unofficial national dish — a fragrant baked mince casserole of Cape Malay origin, seasoned with curry powder, turmeric, dried apricots, and bay leaves, topped with a savory egg custard. The dish is thought to have been introduced to the Cape by Indonesian and Malaysian slaves in the 17th century and has been a staple of Afrikaner home cooking for centuries. Bobotie was included in a United Nations cookbook celebrating global culinary diversity and is the dish most often cited by South African expats as the taste of home.

Biltong is a dried, cured meat snack — typically beef, game, or ostrich — that serves as South Africa's answer to jerky, though the curing process using vinegar, salt, and spices produces a distinctly richer flavor and tender texture. The biltong industry generates over R4 billion ($210 million) in annual retail sales in South Africa, and diaspora demand has driven a substantial export market to the UK (where it is sold in Tesco and Marks & Spencer) and Australia. South Africa produces some of the world's finest game biltong from springbok, kudu, and impala.

Pap en vleis ("porridge and meat") is the soul food of South Africa, a dish rooted in Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho home cooking that consists of stiff maize porridge (pap) served with a tomato-onion gravy and grilled or stewed meat. It is the most widely consumed home-cooked meal in South Africa across all communities and income levels, appearing at every braai alongside wors as a side dish. The term "pap en wors" (porridge and sausage) is synonymous with the communal braai experience.

Malva pudding is South Africa's most beloved dessert — a warm, spongy baked apricot pudding of Cape Dutch origin that is drenched in a hot cream-and-butter sauce immediately upon leaving the oven, creating an impossibly moist, sticky confection. It is the most commonly ordered dessert in South African restaurants across every price category and is served at every formal Afrikaner occasion from weddings to funerals. Woolworths Food sells over 500,000 Malva puddings annually, making it one of their best-selling food products.

Sosaties are South African kebabs of Cape Malay origin — cubes of marinated lamb, chicken, or pork threaded on skewers with dried apricots, onion, and peppers and grilled over the braai fire. The marinade, made from fried onions, curry leaves, apricot jam, and vinegar, gives sosaties their characteristic sweet-sour-spiced flavor profile that distinguishes them from Middle Eastern or Greek kebabs. They are one of the most popular items at South African braais and are a staple of the Cape Malay "boeber" and "Eid" feasting traditions.

Chakalaka is a spicy South African vegetable relish made from onions, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, and curry powder, typically served cold as a side dish at braais or with pap. Its exact origin is disputed — some historians credit it to Johannesburg's mining compounds where workers combined canned ingredients from different cultures — but it is now a beloved staple at every South African supermarket and butchery. The Koo brand's canned chakalaka is one of the top-selling food products in South Africa.

Koeksisters are Afrikaner confections of twisted fried dough, plaited into a braid shape and soaked immediately in ice-cold sugar syrup to create a crispy exterior and hyper-sweet, syrup-saturated interior. They are a staple of church fundraiser bake sales ("kerkbasaar") and supermarket bakeries across South Africa and are one of the most culturally specific Afrikaner baked goods. A distinct Cape Malay version — the "koesister" — is a round, coconut-dusted, cardamom-spiced doughnut sold on Sundays in Cape Town's Bo-Kaap neighborhood.