What to eat in South Africa? - 20 classic dishes you must try

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: May 2026 | What do you eat in South Africa? South African food offers a great variety, with influences from many different cultures. The country is known for both grilled and dried meat, but there is also much else to try. In this article we present tips on South African food.

What to eat in South Africa? - a quick overview

Now we turn our attention to South African cuisine! In South Africa, several food cultures from different parts of the world meet. Here are some typical examples of what people eat in South Africa:

• Grillat: Braai (grilled meat)
• Snacks: Biltong (dried meat)
• Meat: Game meat
• Accessories: Pap (corn porridge)
• Dessert: Malva pudding

We travelled around the South Africa for more than two months, and we enjoyed both the community around the braai and the dried snacks.

Typical South African food: 20 classic dishes

Here we list Indian dishes that are interesting to try, including snacks, sweets and pastries.

1. Biltong

Dried meat, traditionally used by the Boers during their long journeys in the fields. Today, biltong is a popular snack that can be bought almost everywhere: in supermarkets, souvenir shops and airports. The meat can be beef or different kinds of game, such as buffalo or greater kudu.

2. Droewors

A type of sausage made from air-dried meat which, like biltong, has a good shelf life. Perfect to take with you on an excursion or hiking trip!

3. Samosas

Small deep-fried pies with a spicy filling, which can consist of minced meat or a vegetarian version. This little delicacy is made in many parts of the world, such as India, the Middle East and various parts of Africa. Even in multicultural South Africa, this little appetiser is relatively common.

4. Rooster cake

A type of grilled bread, in the form of round buns, which can be eaten as a side dish to a braai, i.e. a barbecue meal. It is also sometimes served with various toppings/fillings, as a lighter meal.

5. Braai

Another thing that you just must eating in South Africa is braai. Braai is all about grilling, and it's extremely popular in South Africa. Every grocery store has a big focus on braai, with everything from meat and charcoal to barbecue spices and magazines with braai tips.

6. Boerewors

In addition to grilling meat, it is popular to grill so-called buckwheat. Boerewors, which roughly means 'farmer's sausage', is a sausage that is ringed in a round shape. The sausage contains a high percentage of meat, usually beef or possibly lamb. Very tasty in our opinion!

7. Ostrich meat

South Africa has a lot of ostrich farms, not least in Oudtshoorn, which has the largest concentration of ostriches in the world. This means that there is a large variety of ostrich meat, both in shops and restaurants, especially in some parts of the country. The meat is delicious, and this is South African food you might not want to miss!

8. Game meat

When in South Africa, you can also take the opportunity to eat game meat, from animals that feel exotic to us northerners. For example, you can eat meat from impala, wildebeest, greater kudu and springbok. Game meat is served in some restaurants and you can also buy it in well-stocked grocery stores.

9. Seafood

Along the South African coast there is a wide variety of seafood. For example, you can try:

• Kap-kingklip (fish with white flesh)
• Snoek (edible fish with firm flesh)
• Mussels
• oyster
• Shrimps
• Rock lobster (a special type of crayfish/lobster)

10. Pap

A type of porridge/polenta made from cornflour that acts as a staple and filling carbohydrate. It can be eaten for breakfast or used as an accompaniment to meat or a stew, such aschakalaka.

11. chakalaka

Chakalaka is a South African vegetable dish usually served with bread or pap. The dish usually includes tomatoes, beans, vegetables and chilli, and can otherwise vary in its execution.

12. Bobotie

A South African mince pie, or perhaps gratin rather, which includes minced meat, spices and egg custard. The dish is usually cooked in large moulds and can be served with yellow rice, for example. In the picture below, you can see small baked pies instead, which are filled with bobotie filling.

13. Potjiekos

The word potpie can be translated as 'small stew food' and is a dish usually prepared outdoors, in a small iron pot. Traditionally, the stew includes meat and vegetables and rice or potatoes, along with spices.

14. Cape Malay Curry

The group known in South Africa as Cape Malay is an ethnic group with roots in Asia and the Muslim religion. Today, this culture can be found in the colourful Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town, where there are also several restaurants.

There are several different dishes to try, including Cape Malay Curry is perhaps the best known. This dish can include chicken and dried fruit, as well as spices such as cinnamon and ginger.

15. Mopane caterpillars

When we visited the township of Soweto in Johannesburg the guide told us about different dishes eaten by the black population: pap, braai and chakalaka, but also kota (bread with filling), papa ka malana (chicken feet and giblets) and mopane larvae. We tested the latter at the restaurant The Boma in Zimbabwe.

16. Koeksisters

A traditional pastry among white Africans, made from dough soaked in syrup or honey. This little treat tastes very good, but be prepared for fat and sugar shock! Perhaps it was the shock that made us not get round to taking a photo ...

17. Milk tart

Melktert, or milk tart in English, is a South African dessert created by the Afrikaners. The dessert consists of a pastry shell filled with milk, flour, sugar and eggs.

18. Malva pudding

A South African soft cake flavoured with apricot jam, among other things. The cake can be served with cream or ice cream. Very tasty! (The cake in the picture is a ”half portion” at the airport in Cape Town, and it was more than enough!)

19. Exotic fruit

South Africa has a wide variety of exotic fruit. You will find, for example, mangoes, bananas, melons, avocados, citrus fruits, guavas, pineapples, pomegranates, grapes and lychees. We also tried a kind of prickly "pear", which we believe is the fruit prickly pear. Very good!

20: Rooibos

One more thing that you almost have to try in South Africa is rooibos, which can also be called red tea. This drink is made in the same way as regular tea, but using leaves from the rooibos bush, which does not contain caffeine.

South African cuisine in restaurants in South Africa

Want to eat in local restaurants? We have visited many restaurants with very good food in South Africa, although the vast majority serve international cuisine rather than typical South African food. Here you can read more about dining experiences in some different cities in South Africa:

• Things to do in Cape Town - 25 tips
• Things to do in Stellenbosch - 9 tips
• Things to do in Mossel Bay - 14 tips

South African wine - and other drinks

South Africa is known for its fine wines and produces large quantities of wine that are exported around the world. Both red and white wines are made from grapes such as chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chenin blanc and the native pinotage grape. If you want to visit vineyards, you can head to the famous wine destinations of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, among others.

• Wineries in Stellenbosch - 4 great places to visit
• Riding the wine train in Franschhoek, South Africa

Although South Africa is known for its wine, it is actually beer that is most widely drunk. One brand that is common, and that we liked, is Carlings Black Label. Originally from Canada, this brand has become popular in South Africa, where it is also brewed locally.

Another popular beer is Windhoek from Namibia.

Amarula is a popular South African liqueur where the main ingredient is fruit from the marula tree. This delicious drink can also be bought at Systembolaget, but it gives a little extra feeling to taste it on site in South Africa!

More about food in other countries

Here you can find more stories about food in different countries:

• Egyptian food - 25 classic dishes
• Moroccan food - 17 Moroccan dishes
• Turkish food - 2o Turkish delicacies
• Tunisian cuisine - 16 Tunisian dishes
• Uzbek food - 12 Uzbek specialities