Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.
-
Try traditional braai
The iconic South African barbecue cooked strictly over local hardwood coals rather than gas. Grates are stacked with beef steaks, lamb chops, spiced chicken, and coil after coil of boerewors.
Visit a township shisa nyama ('burn the meat') spot, pick raw cuts from the butcher counter, and watch them sear over blazing fires.
-
Try biltong
Cured air-dried meat, traditionally beef or game like kudu, springbok, or ostrich, cured with brown vinegar, roasted coriander, black pepper, and salt. Unlike jerky, it is never smoked or cooked with heat.
Head to dedicated butcher counters to order by weight, choosing your preference between wet (lean/pink) or dry cuts, with or without fat.
-
Try droëwors
Thin dried beef snack sausages seasoned with coriander seed, cloves, and nutmeg. Dried quickly in thin casings, they offer a rich, savory snap with zero smokiness.
The essential road-trip snack across the country, sold by weight at butcher counters and gas stations alongside biltong.
-
Try boerewors
Spiral farmer's sausage made from coarsely ground beef mixed with pork or lamb, seasoned with toasted coriander seed, nutmeg, and malt vinegar. Grilled whole in coiled loops to keep the juices locked inside.
By South African law, authentic boerewors must contain at least 90% meat, free from offal and soy fillers.
-
Try bobotie
A classic Cape Malay baked dish of spiced minced beef or lamb topped with an egg-custard layer and bay leaves. It balances curry spices, turmeric, raisins, and sweet fruit chutney.
Universally served with turmeric yellow rice (geelrys) and sweet fruit chutney, best experienced in Cape Town's Bo-Kaap.
-
Try bunny chow
Durban's definitive street food: a hollowed-out quarter or half loaf of white bread filled to the brim with fiery mutton, chicken, or sugar bean curry. The pulled bread crumb sits on top for dipping.
Never eat this with cutlery; tear off pieces of gravy-soaked crust by hand. Order a 'quarter mutton' or vegetarian 'quarter bean'.
-
Try potjiekos
A slow-simmered stew layered into a traditional three-legged cast-iron pot (potjie) over embers. Meat, potatoes, and vegetables steam together in tight layers without ever being stirred during cooking.
A weekend countryside staple frequently prepared with oxtail or lamb shanks braised gently with red wine and aromatics.
-
Try pap and chakalaka
The foundational Southern African combo: thick, fluffy white cornmeal porridge (mieliepap) paired with chakalaka, a spicy relish of braised carrots, peppers, baked beans, and chili.
The indispensable side dish at every braai, balancing savory grilled meats with heat and acidity.
-
Try Cape Malay curry
A fragrant Cape Town curry built on sweet-aromatic spices rather than searing heat, infusing chicken, lamb, or seafood with cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, and dried apricots.
Sample it in Cape Town's colorful historic Bo-Kaap neighborhood alongside buttery, flaky roti.
-
Try braaied snoek
A dense, oily gamefish caught along the cold Atlantic shores, butterflied and grilled over hardwood coals while basted in a glaze of smooth apricot jam, butter, and crushed garlic.
Traditional along fishing villages up the West Coast, served with fire-baked sweet potatoes and farm butter.
-
Try vetkoek (amagwinya)
Deep-fried yeast dough bun, crisp on the outside and hollow within. Street vendors stuff it with spiced curry mince or spread it with cheddar and golden syrup.
Known as amagwinya in township stalls, it makes for the ultimate fast morning comfort food on the go.
-
Try street-style walkie-talkies
Popular street stall snack in townships: seasoned chicken feet ('walkies') and chicken heads ('talkies') boiled with spices and finished over hot braai coals or fried crisp in chili glaze.
A beloved no-waste township specialty sold near bustling taxi ranks in Johannesburg and Durban.
-
Try malva pudding Desserts and pastries
A moist, spongy baked dessert made with apricot jam, soaked immediately after baking in a warm cream-butter sauce. It yields a rich, sticky, caramelized crumb.
Universally served hot with cold vanilla ice cream or warm pouring custard in restaurants nationwide.
-
Try melktert Desserts and pastries
A heritage pie featuring a delicate shortcrust pastry filled with creamy custard made from milk, eggs, and butter, dusted heavily with ground cinnamon.
Available in virtually every bakery and farm stall across the country; best enjoyed chilled.
-
Try koeksisters Desserts and pastries
Plaited dough strips deep-fried to a dark golden crunch, then submerged directly into ice-cold spiced sugar syrup. Biting into one produces an audible crack and a burst of syrup.
Distinct from the Cape Malay koesister, which is a spiced, cake-like dough ball rolled in desiccated coconut.
-
Try buttermilk rusks (beskuit) Desserts and pastries
Double-baked, rock-hard breakfast biscuits, most commonly enriched with buttermilk, aniseed, or muesli. Designed specifically to be dunked into hot coffee or tea until softened.
While Ouma is the household commercial brand, artisan batches from rural roadside farm stalls (padstals) are superior.
-
Drink rooibos tea Non-alcoholic drinks
Indigenous herbal tea harvested from the needle-like leaves of a shrub endemic exclusively to the Cederberg mountains. It brews a naturally caffeine-free ruby infusion with an earthy, honeyed aroma.
Order a 'red cappuccino' in local cafés—concentrated rooibos pulled through an espresso machine with foamed milk.
-
Try mageu (mahewu) Non-alcoholic drinks
A traditional non-alcoholic fermented drink made from refined cornmeal porridge. Creamy and tart, it delivers a probiotic, sour-tangy refreshment favored on hot workdays.
Found in cartons in the dairy aisle across South Africa, available plain or flavored with banana or cream.
-
Order a rock shandy Non-alcoholic drinks
The definitive pub cooler: equal parts club soda and lemonade poured over ice, laced with dashes of Angostura bitters and garnished with a lemon wheel.
Refreshing and mildly aromatic, it is standard daytime fare at seaside terraces and country clubs.
-
Taste Pinotage wine Local alcohol
South Africa's signature grape variety, bred in Stellenbosch by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsault. It yields rich, robust reds with distinct notes of wild bramble, dark plums, cocoa, and subtle woodsmoke.
Tour the historic Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek for tastings paired with charcuterie and game meats.
-
Try Amarula Cream liqueur Local alcohol
A velvety cream liqueur made from distilled, aged wild marula fruit harvested in the lowveld savannah. It carries smooth notes of caramel, vanilla, and a bright tropical fruit finish.
Serve simply on the rocks after dinner or stirred into black coffee as a campfire nightcap.
-
Try traditional umqombothi beer Local alcohol
Traditional home-brewed sorghum beer made by Xhosa and Zulu communities using maize, sorghum malt, and water. Unfiltered, creamy, and sour, it has a low alcohol content and a distinct yeasty body.
Historically brewed for community rituals and celebrations; best sampled through guided township cultural tours.
