Dining in South Africa

Overview

The Rainbow Nation offers the medical tourism visitor a varied range of eclectic tastes, at once sophisticated and earthy.  The cuisine is a motley blend of the influences brought here by the many people who have made South Africa their home.  It covers everything from the robust flavors of indigenous African food and the sweet and sour influences of Malay food to the spicy curries of India and the gastronomy of the English, Dutch, and Portuguese settlers.  The mastery of the talented chefs in the country is aided by a bountiful supply of fresh seafood and abundant game.  The country’s fruit and vegetable farms supply succulent mangoes, papayas, bananas, and other tropical fruit and vegetables, adding to the culinary feast that is South African cuisine.  A selection of excellent wines complements these exotic flavors.

Global Flavors

The gastronomy offers a range of international dishes for the medical tourism traveler who wants to play it safe.  You’ll find hamburger joints, sushi bars, Italian trattorias, French cafes, and Thai restaurants.  Indian eateries serving both Gujarat-style vegetarian cuisine as well as barbecued meats from the north can be found in almost every South African city.  In the major urban centers like Durban, you can find Korean, Vietnamese, Brazilian, Moroccan, and even Swiss establishments.

For the medical tourism vacationer who is up for a challenge, there are such exotic treats as fried caterpillars, crocodile sirloins, and the harmless sounding Skop, which is actually the head of a cow or goat, boiled with spices.

Local Cuisine

If you want to eat like the South Africans do, treat yourself to Biltong, strips of cured and spiced meat, where the choices can range from beef to ostrich.  Another traditional favorite is potjiekos, a stew made of vegetables, rice, and meat, cooked in a blend of Malay and Dutch spices on an open fire.  South Africans take their barbecue or “braai” very seriously, and a barbecue party is one where locals converge with friends to sear marinated lamb and pork chops, steaks, chicken, spare ribs, and crayfish on charcoal grills.

Beverages

The Western Cape area is particularly well known for its grape harvest, and this region produces some of the most popular South African wines.  The locals are also heavy beer drinkers, with a mug of frothy beer considered the perfect accompaniment to a plate of barbecued spare ribs.