Every country has their own special foods and traditional dishes that have evolved and refined throughout their history. South Africa is no different, except that now because of its varied history and the affects of different cultures on it, it is a veritable gourmet melting pot.

From the hunter gather tribes that dominated the plains to the early Dutch, English and Huguenot settlers, to the Cape Malay slaves brought in to work the wine farms, to the Indian labourers brought in to help on the sugar plantations – it has a world of gastronomic influence all in one country.

This has helped to create some of South Africa’s most inspired tastes – Boerewors (a special type of spicy sausage directly translated from Afrikaans to mean farmers Sausage), Bobotie (pronounced ba-boor-tea arrived with the Malay people and is a delicious mixture of curried meat and fruit topped with an egg custard, not dissimilar to moussaka), Pap (a traditional porridge made from ground maize), Biltong (a dried salty meat similar to American jerky), traditional Indian curries, Ostrich in red wine sauce, Waterblommetjie bredie (directly translated as water flower stew it is a meat stewed with the flower of the Cape Pondweed) and Mashonzha (a local delicacy made from the mopanwolrms!).

South Africa also has a rich tradition in excellent wine and brandy making with many winning awards, so washing down these exotic meals is certainly no hardship. But, if none of this is to your taste South Africa has many excellent restaurants that feature food from around the world.

It is no wonder then that with such eclectic influences South Africa is fast becoming one of the worlds best places to do a “gourmet food tour”. If you have a passion for food then I would recommend that you consider this as your next holiday. It allows you to explore the wonders of South Africa and all its spectacular scenery, but it allows you to learn about the people and their cultures through their food! Ending your holiday with a “food Safari” satisfies not only your tummy but also your sense of adventure seeing the Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo and Elephant) – what more could you want?