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What food is South Africa known for?
South Africa is known above all for meat grilled on the braai (the national barbecue), for Cape Malay bobotie, Durban's bunny chow and biltong, a dried meat snack you'll find everywhere. It's a meeting of African, Dutch, Malay and Indian cooking, generous and good value when eating out.
Dishes to try:
- The braai, far more than a barbecue: a weekend institution, cooked over wood with friends. Expect chops, sosaties (marinated kebabs) and boerewors, a spiced sausage coiled into a spiral.
- Biltong and droëwors: air-dried meat and sausage, beef or game, sold in butchers and petrol stations. The national snack, a bit like jerky but thicker and less sweet.
- Bobotie: spiced, slightly sweet minced meat baked under an egg topping and served with yellow rice. The signature Cape Malay dish; try it in the Bo-Kaap with a mild curry.
- Bunny chow: a quarter or half loaf of white bread hollowed out and filled with curry, Durban's Indian speciality (see our Durban guide).
- Pap and chakalaka: a stiff maize porridge, the staple across the country, with a spicy vegetable relish.
- Potjiekos: a stew slow-cooked for hours in a three-legged cast-iron pot.
- Game: springbok, kudu or ostrich, often on the menu at safari lodges and Cape Town restaurants.
- Desserts: malva pudding (a soft apricot sponge served with custard or cream), melktert (cinnamon milk tart) and koeksisters, plaited doughnuts soaked in syrup.
To drink: rooibos, a caffeine-free red tea that grows only in the Cederberg region, Cape wines (see our winelands guide) and Amarula, a creamy liqueur made from the marula fruit.
Practical info. Eating out is affordable: a main course at a good restaurant often costs R150 to R250 (about US$9 to US$15). Tap water is safe to drink in the main cities. Tipping is expected, see our money and tipping advice.
Tip: if you're invited to a braai, bring your own meat and drinks, as is the custom: it shows you know the rules, and there's no better way to spend an evening with South Africans.
Information checked in November 2026; confirm before you travel.