30 Iconic South African Dishes Every Local Knows Taste Like Home
30 Iconic South African Dishes Every Local Knows Taste Like Home
If you ask a South African what reminds them of home, chances are they won’t
start with a place. They will start with a plate.
It might be the smell of curry drifting from a kitchen on a Sunday afternoon, the
classic braai meat with seven colours of sides, or the unmistakable sweetness of
malva pudding arriving at the table just when you thought you couldn’t eat another
bite.
Food is memory in motion. It carries the stories of grandparents, neighbourhoods,
traditions and long afternoons around the table. But it’s also something else; a
language we use to care for one another, even when we’re apart.
“Anything you can do for my mother’s birthday is utterly appreciated; even just a
smiley face, because she makes me happy and smiles with me.”
Messages like this, sent alongside orders on Uber Eats, reveal something simple but
powerful – we aren’t just ordering meals. We are sending comfort, celebrating
milestones, and recreating the feeling of home, one dish at a time. Even when we
order through an app, we are still searching for the effort and care we remember
from our family kitchens – the flavours that shaped us.
And South Africans are doing exactly that, at scale. In 2025 alone, hundreds of
thousands of familiar favourites made their way to doorsteps across the country;
over 491,000 orders of chicken and pap, more than 27,000 servings of chakalaka,
and tens of thousands of bunny chows, braai-style meals and nostalgic desserts like
malva pudding. These aren’t just numbers – they are proof that the meals we grew
up with are still the ones we return to.
Because when the world feels heavy, we go back to what we know. We send a loved
one their favourite sushi to say “I’m thinking of you.” We try to recreate a dish
we’ve fallen in love with, hoping to carry that flavour into our own kitchens. We
order the meals that remind us who we are.
And today, those same memories are easier than ever to return to. Platforms like
Uber Eats don’t just bring meals to your door – they help bring back the flavours
that raised you. Whether it’s a nostalgic comfort dish, a regional favourite, or
something you’ve been craving since childhood, it’s now possible to go from
memory to meal in just a few taps.
Inspired by recipes from The Great South African Cookbook, we’ve curated a list of
the dishes that raised generations of South Africans – meals that feel like home,
taste like childhood, and can now, more often than ever, be ordered straight to your
door.
Mains
The perfect braai steak (see page 52)
No South African food list would be complete without the braai.
Chef Jan Braai – whose name alone feels like destiny – offers a recipe for the perfect
braai steak, best served with peri-peri sauce. Because in South Africa, the braai is
more than cooking. It’s a gathering place, a storytelling session, and occasionally a
debate about who really knows how to cook the meat properly.
Lamb knuckles
Some meals are built for patience. Lamb knuckles are one of them.
Chef Reuben Riffel is known for turning humble ingredients into deeply comforting
dishes, and his pressure-cooked lamb knuckles are a masterclass in slow, satisfying
cooking. The meat becomes so tender it practically falls apart at the touch of a fork,
soaked in rich flavour developed over time. It’s the kind of meal that feels like a
Sunday – unhurried, generous, and designed to be shared around a big table where
conversation flows as easily as the gravy.
Umleqwa (Farm chicken) (see page 220)
Chef Xoliswa Ndoyiya, who once served as Nelson Mandela’s private chef, knows
how deeply food connects people to their roots.
Her dish, umleqwa – traditional farm chicken – was one of Madiba’s favourites.
There was only one rule: there had to be gravy served on the side. If it wasn’t, he
would reportedly ask: “Where is my gravy? Wasn’t the bird drinking anything?”
Macaroni cheese (see page 16)
Every country has a version of macaroni and cheese. South Africa has dozens.
Chef Errieda du Toit adds roasted tomatoes to the mix, bringing brightness and
depth to a dish that already sits firmly in the comfort-food hall of fame. Mac and
cheese is the kind of meal that often appears in childhood memories: school nights,
family dinners, or that magical moment when someone says, “There’s still a second
helping.”
Three-dhal curry (see page 21)
Few dishes tell the story of South Africa quite like curry.
Chef Cass Abrahams captures that beautifully with her three-dhal curry, a dish
rooted in Cape Malay tradition but shaped by centuries of cultural exchange. As she
puts it, “When you see a plate of food in front of you, you can tell a lot about the
history, the geography and the economics of its originating country. Food builds
bridges over culture and class systems.” For many South Africans, the smell of
simmering dhal instantly signals home.
Oxtail with ujeqe (steamed bread) (see page 32)
Nothing captures the heart of home like oxtail.
Chef Dora Sitole pairs rich, slow-cooked oxtail with ujeqe, a soft traditional steamed
bread that soaks up every drop of sauce. Her philosophy is simple and deeply
familiar to anyone who grew up in a busy kitchen: cooking is a family activity.
Everyone helps. Everyone eats. And somehow, that makes the food taste even
better.
Grandmother’s pickled fish (see page 42)
For many South Africans, pickled fish is not just food. It’s a calendar event.
Chef Hilary Biller shares a recipe inspired by traditional Afrikaans kitchens, where
pickled fish was prepared in large batches before Easter or Christmas. The
anticipation was part of the ritual. Children would wait impatiently for the moment
it was finally served, usually alongside thick slices of freshly baked brown bread
generously spread with butter. If nostalgia had a flavour, it might taste like this.
Venison bobotie from the Karoo (see page 74)
Bobotie is one of South Africa’s best known national dishes – rich, aromatic,
unmistakably comforting, and often divisive!
Chef Annatjie Reynolds prepares hers with venison from the Karoo, adding a
distinctly farm-style touch to the classic recipe. There’s an old Afrikaans saying she
remembers from childhood: “Food must never taste like rainwater.” In other words –
if you’re cooking, cook with flavour.
Layered lamb biryani (see page 88)
For chef Yudhika Sujanani, the kitchen was the heart of the home.
She remembers doing homework at the kitchen table while her grandmother moved
between pots and spices, the gentle swish of her sari marking the rhythm of dinner
preparation. Her layered lamb biryani captures that feeling perfectly – fragrant,
complex and filled with the kind of love that only long-practiced recipes can deliver.
Spaghetti carbonara (see page 248)
South African cuisine has always welcomed outside influences, and spaghetti
carbonara is a perfect example.
Chef Dario Soresi explains that the dish originated with Italian coal miners, who
sprinkled black pepper over pasta until it resembled coal dust – giving rise to the
name carbonara. Today, it sits comfortably on South African tables alongside local
favourites.
Bunny chow (see page 296)
Durban’s famous bunny chow is legendary: hollowed-out bread filled with richly
spiced curry.
The Patel family’s vegetarian version proves that the beloved street food is just as
satisfying without meat. For many South Africans, bunny chow is more than a meal
it’s a rite of passage.
Snoek with apricot jam and lemon garlic glaze (see page 320)
Along the Western Cape coastline, snoek is practically a way of life.
Whether in Simon’s Town, Kalk Bay or Fish Hoek, the distinctive local fish is often
served with sweet apricot jam and a sharp lemon-garlic glaze. It’s seaside comfort
food at its best.
Sides and snacks
Morogo with leeks and potatoes (see page 32)
Morogo – a dish made with leafy greens – is one of the quiet heroes of South African
cuisine.
In Dora Sitole’s version, the greens are cooked with leeks and potatoes, creating
something nourishing, simple and deeply rooted in everyday cooking traditions. It’s
the kind of dish that proves comfort food doesn’t always need complexity.
Pap (see page 196)
Pap is one of the most recognisable staples on South African tables – simple,
comforting, and endlessly versatile.
Chef Siba Mtongana brings a playful twist to the classic maize-meal side with what
she calls papizza. The idea is beautifully simple: once the pap has been cooked and
mashed smooth – using traditional techniques to keep it perfectly lump-free – she
flattens it into a crisp, golden pizza-style base. For Siba, the inspiration goes back
to childhood. She remembers watching her mother cook and being convinced she
was a magician in the kitchen, transforming humble ingredients into something
special.
It’s a memory that shaped her philosophy about food: meals made with care are
really just another way of saying, “I love you.”
Chakalaka (see page 132)
If there were a national side dish for South Africa, chakalaka would be it.
Chef Rita Zwane helped pioneer commercialised shisanyama in 1997, serving
generous plates of grilled meat with her famous chakalaka from a street-corner
spot. Her original pot still hangs proudly in her restaurant – a reminder that some of
the country’s most iconic dishes began with simple ingredients and big ambition.
Vetkoek (see page 150)
Vetkoek – literally “fat cake” – is fried dough at its finest.
Chef Ntombenhle Mtambo, a permaculture specialist, celebrates the dish as a
reminder of the simple pleasures that food can bring. Stuffed with savoury mince or
served with syrup or jam, vetkoek has long been a street-food favourite and a
beloved homemade treat.
Biltong (see page 172)
No list of South African foods would be complete without biltong.
Chef Angus McIntosh, who grew up on a farm, calls it one of the country’s most
iconic food products. Air-dried, deeply flavoured and impossible to eat just one
piece of, biltong has become something of a national snack identity. Road trip?
Biltong. Rugby match? Biltong. Random Tuesday? Still biltong.
Baked butternut (see page 224)
Sometimes the most comforting dishes are also the simplest.
Chef Sammy Phalane’s baked butternut celebrates a humble ingredient that
appears on dinner tables across the country, especially alongside Sunday roasts.
Sweet, roasted and slightly caramelised, it’s a quiet favourite that never goes out of
style.
Askoek (see page 274)
Chef Kobus van der Merwe draws inspiration from the West Coast’s ancient food
traditions.
Askoek – a rustic bread cooked in hot ashes – reflects the resourcefulness of early
communities who relied on the rich bounty of the Saldanha Strandveld fynbos
region. It’s proof that some recipes survive for centuries.
Samoosas (see page 308)
Chef Mira Haire believes flavour is everything.
Her potato samoosas rely on high-quality spices and fresh ingredients to transform
something simple into something unforgettable. Served with green chutney, they
are a beloved snack at markets, gatherings and celebrations across the country.
Injera (Sourdough flatbread) (see page 316)
South Africa’s food story stretches far beyond its borders.
Injera, the Ethiopian sourdough flatbread, has become increasingly familiar on local
tables. Tangy, soft and designed for sharing, it reflects the broader African culinary
traditions that continue to shape the country’s food culture.
Samp and beans (see page 330)
In many South African homes, samp and beans are the ultimate comfort meal.
Chef Nwamandla Mhlongo prepares the dish with nuts, drawing on culinary
traditions from the town of Giyani in Limpopo. Hearty, nourishing and deeply
satisfying, it’s a reminder that some of the most meaningful meals are also the
most humble.
Mopane worms (see page 332)
Food tells stories about place – and few ingredients represent southern Africa more
uniquely than mopane worms.
Chef Nwamandla Mhlongo’s roasted version celebrates a traditional source of
protein that has sustained communities for generations. For many people, the dish
is both cultural heritage and everyday nourishment.
Desserts
Milk tart (see page 146)
Milk tart is the kind of dessert that appears everywhere – family gatherings, church
sales, Sunday lunches.
Chef Ina Paarman created a version with apples in honour of her ouma. She
believes her grandmother would be proud of the recipe they perfected together.
Sweet, creamy and lightly spiced, milk tart has been quietly comforting South
Africans for generations.
Bread and butter pudding (see page 204)
Chef Natasha Sideris – founder of Tashas – believes good food doesn’t need to be
complicated.
Her bread and butter pudding reflects that philosophy perfectly: simple ingredients,
beautifully prepared, and endlessly comforting. It’s the kind of dessert that feels
warm before you even take the first bite.
Malva pudding (see page 234)
Malva pudding – at least according to Uber Eats’ 2024 and 2025 Cravings Reports –
is South Africa’s most beloved dessert.
Chef Alex Lavaras has a practical approach to the indulgent classic: don’t look at
the calories. His portion sizes, he says, are designed for farmers who need serious
fuel – which may explain why seconds are almost always unavoidable.
Koesisters (see page 270)
In the colourful neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap in Cape Town, chef Kubra Mahomed
begins her day long before sunrise.
Her first customers arrive at 4 a.m., just after morning prayers, eager for freshly
made koesisters – syrup-soaked, spiced dough plaits that are beloved throughout
the Cape. Few treats feel quite as celebratory.
Chocolate chip cookies (see page 302)
Sometimes nostalgia arrives in the form of a biscuit tin.
Chefs Sipho and Thoko Khosa bring that feeling to life with their chocolate chip
cookies – the kind that disappear mysteriously within minutes of leaving the oven.
Every family seems to have a memory involving cookies cooling on the kitchen
counter.
Download Full Guide and Recipes Here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XoQEx79TiWUHxSGOubQSeHtvUSebruAH/view?usp=sharing
