The colourful Cape Town has an equally colourful array of local cuisine to suit everyone’s palate from char-grilled meat on the braai to fresh fish caught hours before and the exotic spices of Cape Malay, every culture in the city has their preferred dinner.
Afrikaans for “roasted meat”, braaivleis has become an iconic word synonymous with South Africa. Braaing (see: barbecuing or roasting) is the local and social custom in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe and of course South Africa. It originated with the Afrikaner people but today has been adopted by people of many different ethnic backgrounds living in the country.
Cooking meat on the braai has even become a patriotic event. Many South Africans will get together and have a braai before watching a big rugby game, or even cricket. The social act of coming together and cooking meat on what others would only recognise as a grill has become a South African past time. Friends will often get together at a “Bring and Braai”; each bringing their preferred meat. Usually the men will stand around the coal fire and cook the meat while the women prepare green and potato salads and delicious desserts.
There is even a National Braai Day now, where everyone in South Africa actively celebrates their cultural heritage by partaking in their unique national past time. Braai day is celebrated annually on 24 September (National Heritage Day) and sees all the demographic groups, religious types and different cultures enjoying a braai with their friends.
Cape Town is also famous for being the sea-food lover’s haven. Being a city right next to the sea, this is not hard to believe, and the locals enjoy fresh fish caught daily. The coast is where you’ll find a medley of marine eateries offering crayfish (lobster), fish prawns, mussels and calamari on their menus.
If you want to cook the fish yourself however visit Kalk Bay Harbour and trawl the day’s catches for your choice of fish for the day. You can also buy fresh fish just out of the water in Hout Bay at the Snoekies Fresh Fish Market. Their selection, as with at Kalk Bay at the harbour, depends on what their boats can catch that day so be prepared to wing it sometimes.
At Fish Hoek you can experience the traditional methods of “trek” fishing and angling. The fisherman take out their nets at least once a week and bring their bounty back onto shore where the public can buy fresh straight out of the net or help throw back the creatures not wanted. Following two fatal shark attacks at this beach the Fisherman are working closely with the Shark Spotters to ensure this lovely beach remains safe for swimmers and fisherman alike.
If seafood doesn’t tickle your taste buds there’s a whole history of Cape Malay food that’s bound to get you interested. The distinctive flavours get their magic from a careful blend of spices (the main one being turmeric). The Cape Malay influence can be traced back to 1652 when Jan Van Riebeeck landed in the cape and started a fresh vegetables garden to supply the Dutch East India Company with a provisions station. The Dutch fetched slaves from the Sumatra who were then later referred to as the Cape Malays.
The Cape Malays brought with them their unique traditions, recipes and spices (garlic, ginger, chilli, star anise, barishap/fennel, jeera/cumin, koljander/coriander, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, dhania, mustard seed, allspice, mint, fenugreek, saffron, nutmeg and tamarind). These ingredients, coupled with the Cape Malays’ rich culture sparked the beginning of the Cape’s introduction to the taste bud temptations of the exotic east.
If your taste buds are tingling now, why not organise your own braai, or visit the harbours to pick up the catch if the day. Otherwise there are plenty restaurants in Cape Town that offer a slice of the Cape Malay cuisine so deliciously striking you won’t be hungry for long.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
