10 Food Things I Learned in South Africa
This post was supposed to be right when I (Renae) got back from South Africa. But, that clearly didn’t happen. I wanted to share all the different food things I learned during my time in Cape Town.
Ostrich is red meat. When I say my mind was blown, that is an understatement. I assumed it was going to look like chicken. Ostrich looks just like beef, and I thought it was really good. It is very, very tender but holds flavor really well.
The quality of food is unreal. Food in Cape Town does not have near as many preservatives or additives. This makes all their food less processed and a lot more fresh. It also means food doesn’t last as long on the shelf. I had to be more strategic when buying food and make sure I use it all.
FRESH FRUIT. I did not know how much I loved fresh fruit until I ate pounds of it every week for two months. Fruit farms are very common in South Africa, and in most cases, the fruit at the store was picked less than three days earlier.
They love to drink, and the booze are definitely stronger. Cape Town is surrounded by wine country. The wine was amazing, but I learn the hard way that it is a lot stronger than my typical Stella Rose from the bottom shelf of Walmart.
South Africans LOVE to barbecue. Down there, it is referred to as a braai, and that is custom for dinner parties and gatherings. It is also full of seasoned meats, side dishes, and salads.
If you like your steak rare, they will give you a rare steak. This is one thing I really loved. I prefer my steaks and burgers rare. Medium rare in South Africa is rare in America.
South Africans love seasonings. Not necessarily salt, but everything was always seasoned perfectly with other spices and full of flavor.
Chicken tenders in America suck. I ate more chicken tendies in those two months than I have in my entire life. Mostly Panko coated and not nearly as greasy as here in the States.
Fast food is not nearly as prevalent. I will say McDonald’s was very good, and they really like KFC. That was one of the most popular food chains down there.
They are really good at cooking potatoes and in way I have never had before. One of my favorites was a thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a small tin with lots of seasoning. It became a kind of loaf with a very crunchy outside. It was amazing.
If you ever get the chance to go to South Africa, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it. I honestly loved it and the people were the nicest people I have ever been around. I can’t wait to share more of my travels. I think the next stop will be South America :)