South Africa: A True Melting Pot of Flavor

        Since traveling through the Western Cape of South Africa, our group has had many opportunities to see, learn, and taste the different foods of the country. A first glance at a typical South African restaurant’s menu would remind you of any American cuisine. One can find a hamburger, chicken, and French fries (chips) at basically any restaurant. However, what makes South African cuisine unique is its “melting pot” of flavors.        In the article from the Economist titled “Chasing the Rainbow,” a survey shows that while the majority of the population is Black, there is a substantial White, Asian, and Colored population as well. With this mix of ethnicity comes a mix of cultures, backgrounds, and traditions, all of which influence the food and restaurant styles of South Africa.         Within the first few days of the program, we had eaten at Italian, Chinese, Indian, and Cape Malay restaurants, the latter of which is unique to the Muslim region in Cape Town known as Malay.  Dutch, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, and even Cuban food can be easily found as well. While the combination of cuisines in a single country may seem confusing, a quick glance at South Africa’s history can explain the infusion of cultures.        The mixture of cultures began as early as 1652 when the first Dutch settlers landed in South Africa. From this point on, members of the Dutch East Indian Company continued to move to the African country. In the 18^th Century, British, German, and French colonists began inhabiting South Africa as well. With the growing number of Europeans, immigrants from various other African nations, as well as India, were brought and used in the South African workforce. The various ethnic groups were further established during the Apartheid regime, which separated and restricted these groups. Since the end of the Apartheid to the present, ancestors of the earliest settlers and immigrants have continued to live and work in South Africa, carrying on the traditions of their food and cultures.        Although much of the flavors of South Africa can be attributed to immigrants and foreign settlers, there are certainly distinct types of food that cannot be found in America. Being on the coast, seafood is an essential to the Capetonian cuisine. Here calamari, oysters, prawns, and a variety of line fish can be found at virtually every restaurant. Since our arrival in Cape Town, we have had the opportunity to dine at multiple unique South African restaurants. Lelapa, an African restaurant in the heart of the Cape Town township, Langa, is a “must” visit when traveling to the coastal city. The food at Lelapa was served buffet style and included dishes such as cooked pumpkin, butternut squash, Boerewors (a spicy sausage cooked on a braai), vegetable curry, Krikkadel (a meatball made from minced beef and onion), cornstarch with a tomato and onion sauce, and Morogo (a wild spinach dish). We also visited a traditional African restaurant on the famous Long Street of Cape Town called Mama Africa. This lively restaurant offered more exotic dishes including crocodile, Kudu (antelope), ostrich, and Springbok. In addition to South African wild game, townships make use of certain animal parts that most of the world would simply toss out. Besides food such as whole chicken feet, townships such as Langa boost about their delicate, unique dish commonly known as a “Smiley.”  A “Smiley” is the head of a sheep, goat, or cow. The word “Smiley” comes from the way the animal head looks after being cooked over a fire. The head is first scrubbed to remove the skin and unwanted parts like the ears and nose, which are cut off before the head is boiled and simmered. However, after speaking with locals during my internship experience, I was informed that people will often consume these unwanted parts but only after being cooked in a sort of brain marinade. Whichever way one chooses to eat a “Smiley”, this South African “delicacy” was certainly not sought after by our group.While there is clearly food unique to South Africa, I was shocked to see the vast variety of restaurant styles. We often refer to America as the great melting pot of cultures. However, when investigating food, there is no doubt that with the combination of cultures in this southern country in the “Cradle of Humankind”, the true melting pot of cuisines lies in South Africa.