Food in South Africa

Well, I realized that I have spent the better part of the last two years here complaining about the foods that I have missed from home, trying to recreate them and paying outrageous amounts of money for imported foods from the US.

What I have not mentioned is the foods that we have grown to love here. There have been some things that we have tried that have been quite a bit questionable, and even though it especially took me a while to be more open to trying new things, we certainly have. I'd have to say our youngest, Kenley, has eaten and grown to love South African foods the most. She attends a South African crèche and is served hot meals there daily. She has never been afraid to try new things and since she was so young when we moved here, she can't tell the difference. Funny part is, when we visit the US, she does not care for fast food at all! Even here on our trips to McDonald's, she only really likes the fries and the Happy Meal toy. I guess that is a good thing, huh?

I'd say the top of the different and interesting foods that we have tried has to be all of the game meats that we ate at Carnivores in Johannesburg. There, we ate zebra, crocodile, kudu and many more.

At the top of our list of foods that we have really enjoyed  here is a dessert of course. Malva pudding. I'd say it is similar to a bread pudding. It is a sweet warm bread with a warm custard over top and we can't get enough. This is something I must learn how to make before we move back to the states.

Some of the other popular foods are boerewors, and miele pap with chakalaka. Pap, is very popular and also very cheap and easy to make. It is a porridge made from corn meal. The chakalaka is a zesty tomato based sauce poured over top.South Africans also love their meat. There is meat on the braii at every function. (A braii is a wood burning fire in which they cook their meats.)

And now for our very favourite place to eat amoungst many fabulous restaurants here. Mo-Zam-Bik! This restaurant serves the best of Mozambique cuisine and we have made it a habit of going here often. You can tell by the fact that the manager knows us by name each time we walk in. The entire staff is super friendly. They have finally opened one near our home now so we do not have to drive far, which could be dangerous, lol. Our favourite is the Prawns. They have several amazing sauces that you can have over them, such as lemon garlic butter, peri peri (spicy) and Zambezi sauce. All delicious. Another favorite here is the Trinchado, which is tender beef strips in a creamy garlic sauce. You can get this as an appetizer or a main. A bonus is the great beer and beverages here! You can get a cold Laurentina and a variety of fun shots, such as a Soweto toilet. I know, sounds horrible, but tastes great! It is also a family environment, with a playground for the kiddies. Here are some photos of our last visit :) Enjoy!

 Girl's chicken (deboned) with coconut rice and lemon garlic butter sauce. YUM! I had the popular local beer, Castle Lite with my dish.

Half chicken and prawns with wasabi mashed potatoes also with the lemon garlic butter sauce. And of course Matt washed his down with a cold Laurentina.