A diverse blend of external cultural influences can be found in South African cuisine. Afrikaans, Dutch, French, Indian, and Malaysian flavors and cooking methods are among those that continue to appear on restaurant menus and in individuals’ kitchens around the nation (Schönfeldt, 2020). The majority of the food prepared in South African cuisine today includes a lot of red meat, whether roasted, barbecued, or grilled, along with potatoes, rice, and vegetables enriched with sugar and butter. Popular desserts are frequently built on earlier favorites that would have persisted for a few days. This comprises sweet pastries, rice cakes, and cookies. One of the most popular cuisine styles in South Africa is the “braai” (barbecue). Red meat is cooked over hot coals, giving it an unrivaled smokey flavor (Schönfeldt, 2020). Examples include spicy sausages, chops, kebabs, steaks, and pork rashers. Since this cooking is often done by the men in the family and is primarily enjoyed outdoors, it is a particularly communal activity. Bread buns and a wide variety of salads are included as sides.
South Africans place a high value on vegetables, which come in many different leafy, green kinds. Stews and other simple one-pot meals may be prepared over the fire (Schönfeldt, 2020). Dumplings, samp and beans, tripe, sour milk porridge, “mieliepap” (a corn-based porridge usually supplemented with beans, animal fat, and vegetables), and even more daring foods like Mopane worms are among well-known South African dishes.
