The Lekker-ist South African Recipes for a Taste of Home... - SAPeople - Worldwide South African News (2024)

Here’s a delicious collection of South Africa’s fabulous and unique recipes for the #ProudlySouthAfricanat home and far away who’d like to celebrate their heritage this weekend! Or any weekend for that matter…

[vc_button title=”1″ color=”default”] Milk Tart

The Lekker-ist South African Recipes for a Taste of Home... - SAPeople - Worldwide South African News (1)

There is nothing like a proper homemade South African milktart (melktert in Afrikaans). Quick and easy for tea or dessert!And it’s so South African it has its own National Day – 27th February!

Viewthe Milk Tart Recipe

[vc_button title=”2″ color=”default”] Rusks

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Buttermilk rusks are always a winner, especially when dunked in tea or coffee! While South Africans around the world yearn for and enjoy the well knownOuma Rusks,there’s something a bit special abouthome made rusks. For those not in the know, rusks are kind of like biscotti, and a much loved South African treat.

View the Rusk Recipe| View the history of Ouma Rusks

[vc_button title=”3″ color=”default”] Bobotie

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Bobotie, is a South African dish (considered a national dish by many!) consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. This traditional bobotie recipe is sure to impress.

View the Bobotie Recipe

[vc_button title=”4″ color=”default”]Pumpkin fritters

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Pumpkin fritters – or Pampoen koekies in Afrikaans – are delicious for breakfast or dessert and it’s so quick and easy to make!

View the Pumpkin Fritter Recipe

[vc_button title=”5″ color=”default”] Snoek Pate

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With so much snoek in the Cape waters, few tastes capture Cape Town as tastefully as smokedsnoekpâté. It makes it a common dish for those living in and around Cape Town and along the coast. Usually best eaten with crackers or melba toast!

View the Snoek Pate Recipe

[vc_button title=”6″ color=”default”]Curried Samp and Beans

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Samp and Beans are made from crushed dry maize/corn kernels (a.k.a. samp) and slowly cooked sugar beans. The aroma that fills a kitchen as it’s cooking brings home cherished childhood memories for many South Africans. It was one of former President Nelson Mandela’s favourite meals. Samp and Beans were traditionally eaten in South Africa by Zulu and Xhosa people (who call it isistambu and umngqusho, respectively). Today it’s become so popular (and makes a great comfort food!) that it’s now pre-packed and mixed for easier preparation. It can be served as a starter, side dish or main meal. Some keep it simple and others love to mix in chillies or curry. You can add more flavour with meat (like lamb) and gravy. South Africans around the world love the meal for the memories it brings them of ‘home’. Apparently it’s known as ‘hominy’ in the USA, ‘makande’ in Tanzania and of course in Afrikaans it’s called ‘Stamp en Boone’!

View the Curried Samp and Bean Recipe

[vc_button title=”7″ color=”default”] Biltong

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For everyone far from home who misses thisSouth African classic. (For the non-South Africans, It is an air-cured meat marinated in vinegar and spices.) You can use manydifferent types of meat –from beef through to game meats and ostrich.

View the Biltong Recipe

[vc_button title=”8″ color=”default”] Vetkoek

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Vetkoek – which literally means ‘fat cake’ in Afrikaans – is a proudly South African pastry. The ‘vet’ part of its name probably comes from the fact that it’s deep-fried in cooking oil (‘fat’)!Vetkoek is a dough which is light and crisp on the outside, whilst soft and bread-like on the inside. It can be served with deliciously cooked mince (ground beef)…or turned it into a dessert with wallops of syrup, honey or jam and cheese.In this versionSAPeople’s chef extraordinaire Faz hasadded chilli and chives. Feel free to make it plain and serve with mince, chicken or vegetables.

View the Vetkoek Recipe

[vc_button title=”9″ color=”default”]Rooibos Infused Fruit Cake

The Lekker-ist South African Recipes for a Taste of Home... - SAPeople - Worldwide South African News (9)

This fruit cake combines Rooibos tea (which ever good South African loves!) with a fruit cake mix to make a seriously delicious cake.Perfect for Christmas or any memorable occasion like celebrating our Heritage!

View the Rooibos Infused Fruit Cake Recipe

[vc_button title=”10″ color=”default”]Traditional Malay Koeksisters

The Lekker-ist South African Recipes for a Taste of Home... - SAPeople - Worldwide South African News (10)

These traditional sticky spicy treats are so yummy!This recipe was one that Faz’sgrandmother used to make when shewas a little girl.It’s taken Faza while to perfect…but now it’s so comforting on those coolerSunday mornings!

View the Koeksister Recipe

[vc_button title=”11″ color=”default”] Bunny Chow

The Lekker-ist South African Recipes for a Taste of Home... - SAPeople - Worldwide South African News (11)

Bunny Chow has become one of Durban’s most famous exports! It’s usually called a ‘bunny’ and brings back youthful memories for many Durbanites who used to stop for a bunny chow on their way home from late night clubbing.A bunny is basically made from half a loaf of bread (with the inside scoopedout and kept to dip in the gravy). The hollow loaf is then filled with delicious authentic Indian curry – made from either Lamb Mutton or Vegetables. Beef, chicken or mince can alsobe used.

View Durban’s Famous Bunny Chow Recipe| View the Vegetable Bunny Chow Recipe

[vc_button title=”12″ color=”default”] Braai Pie

For all those leftovers…SuzelleDIY shows us how…

View more about Suzelle DIY and theBraai Pie Video

VIEW MORE SOUTH AFRICAN RECIPES

The Lekker-ist South African Recipes for a Taste of Home... - SAPeople - Worldwide South African News (2024)

FAQs

What does "lekker" mean in South Africa? ›

Lekker [lack-err] An Afrikaans word that really could mean anything, but always has a good connotation. Generally, it means "nice" or "good". Padkos [putt–koss] Travel food.

What is the most popular food dish in South Africa? ›

Bobotie. Another dish thought to have been brought to South Africa by Asian settlers, bobotie is now the national dish of the country and cooked in many homes and restaurants. Minced meat is simmered with spices, usually curry powder, herbs and dried fruit, then topped with a mixture of egg and milk and baked until set ...

What are 3 examples of foods that are indigenous to South Africa? ›

Pulses include cowpea and Bambara while cereals include pearl millet and sorghum. Indigenous vegetable crops that can be utilized for food preparation include those with tender leaves, stems, and stalks. These include root/tubers like amadumbe and leafy vegetables such as cleome, cowpea, amaranth, and blackjack.

What do South Africans eat for breakfast? ›

It's a tea-and-coffee culture, so breakfast is often a cup of something hot (with lots of sugar added) served alongside something bready. That can be a piece of toast with jam or cheese, a rusk (a thick and tooth-breakingly hard cookie), buttered bread, or even a hot dog bun.

What is the slang word for a girl in South Africa? ›

bint – a girl, from Arabic بِنْت. Usually seen as derogatory. buck – the main unit of currency: in South Africa the rand, and from the American use of the word for the dollar. china – friend, mate (from co*ckney rhyming slang china [plate] = "mate").

What is the South African slang for wow? ›

Eish an expression of Bantu origin which conveys surprise and can be translated to “wow”. Gatvol translates to “fed-up” or “irritated” and originates from Afrikaans.

What food is only found in South Africa? ›

Traditional South African Dishes
  • Bobotie. Considered by many to be the South African national dish, Bobotie (pronounced ba-bo-tea) is a meat-based dish and one of the most well-known examples of Cape Malay cuisine. ...
  • Boerewors. ...
  • Chakalaka and pap. ...
  • Biltong. ...
  • Potjiekos. ...
  • Vetkoek. ...
  • Durban bunny chow. ...
  • Malva pudding.
Jan 4, 2023

What is ketchup called in South Africa? ›

Some South Africans also refer to ketchup as “tomato sauce”.

What meat do they eat in South Africa? ›

Game and meats

Although the meat used is most commonly beef, different variants also exist using springbok, kudu, eland, chicken and ostrich. Boerewors—a sausage that is traditionally braaied (barbecued). Droëwors—translates to dried sausage and is made like boerewors, but park meat is left out.

What fruit is native to South Africa? ›

According to the Department: Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries (DAFF), these are considered the most important South African indigenous fruit crops: Marula, mobola plum, red milkwood fruit, wld medlar, kei apple, monkey orange, sour fig and sour plum.

What is the national drink of South Africa? ›

South Africa: No official drink but Beer, Springbokkie and Boeber are common. Umqombothi a traditional Nguni sorghum beer is a popular drink to celebrate special ceremonies, and more recently rooibos or “bush” tea is referred to as the unofficial national drink.

Can you wear shorts in South Africa? ›

Shorts are very appropriate for the summer months between the end of October and mid March.

Do South Africans eat a lot of rice? ›

In 2021/2023, a total of some one million metric tons of rice were consumed in South Africa.

What do they eat on Thanksgiving in South Africa? ›

A massive Butterball turkey is the centrepiece of the table. Surrounding it are side dishes consisting of heavier in-season winter crops like mashed potatoes and butter, corn, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato casserole. There's also stuffing, green beans and bread rolls to absorb all the gooey goodness.

Is lekker Afrikaans or Dutch? ›

Lekker comes from Afrikaans, a creole language spoken in South Africa with roots from Dutch. Lekker is also a word in Dutch, meaning “tasty,” which is related to the Dutch verb likken, “to lick.”

What is lekker in English translation? ›

adjective. pleasant or enjoyable; nice; lovely: three lekker days on a sailboat; a lekker young man.

What does kak lekker mean? ›

Kak- Not Lekker (see Lekker). Unless it's really lekker, then it's kak lekker. :) Can also mean "sh*t". Lekker - Nice, good, great and also means 'tasty' in Afrikaans.

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