The
Essence of.....South Africa
An exploration of the world through food and drink
Essence -ial Information
|
UK Tourist Office |
No. 5 & 6 Alt Grove Wimbledon, London SW 19 |
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Currency |
Rand |
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Capital |
Pretoria |
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Language |
Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
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Main Airlines |
SAA, Virgin, British Airways |
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Flying Time from UK |
11 hrs 30 mins |
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Visa |
No |
PROFILE
The continent of Africa is the second largest landmass on the earth and is home to hundreds of tribes, ethnic and social groups. This diversity is, understandably, reflected in African cuisine, in the use of basic ingredients as well as in the style of preparation and cooking techniques and the influence of the many other cultures that have visited the continent.
Traditional green vegetables occupy an important role in household nutrition throughout Africa as these are the main source of vitamins and provide variety to meals otherwise consisting of maize, cassava, yam, millet, beans and occasionally, meat stews.
Cuisine of South Africa and the neighbouring countries is sometimes called 'rainbow cuisine' and rightly so as the cuisine of South Africa and the countries around them have largely become polyglot cuisines, as well as several waves of immigrants which included Indians, Malays, Chinese as well as Europeans. Thus, the food here is a blend of many cultures - African, European and Asian. Whilst it was the Portuguese who were the first Europeans to set foot in South Africa, it was the Dutch, French Huguenots and English who were to have the most influence on the cuisine. Many dishes eaten today are closely based on dishes from past times, such as Pap, an accompaniment made from maize and eaten much like rice, which was and is a native black African staple, Bobotie, a spicy Malay dish similar to Shepherds Pie and Potjiekos which became an important dish during the Afrikaner's great trek
The basic ingredients in Central Africa are plantains and cassava. Fufu-like starchy foods (usually made from fermented cassava roots) are served with grilled meat and sauces.
The cuisine of East Africa varies from area to area. In the inland savannah, the traditional cuisine of cattle-keeping peoples is distinctive in that meat products are generally absent. Cattle, sheep and goats were regarded as a form of currency and a store of wealth, and are not generally consumed as food. In some areas, they consume the milk and blood of cattle, but rarely the meat. Elsewhere, other peoples are farmers who grow a variety of grains and vegetables. Maize (corn) is the basis of ugali, the East African version of West Africa's fufu. Ugali is a starch dish eaten with meats or stews. In Uganda, steamed, green bananas called matoke provide the starch filler of many meals. More recently the Asian community and Portuguese have had a considerable influence on the cuisine.
The cuisines of North Africa are varied and exciting with Moroccan and Tunisian increasingly popular as well as the simpler cuisines of Tunisia and Egypt.
The new interest in African cuisine shows in London where are several excellent restaurants offering Carib African, Ethiopian, Egyptian and South African for you to try.