My favorite South African foods
Living here has definitely exposed me to lots of South African foods. Some things I like, somethings I don’t, some things I have yet to try.
Here are a few things I like:
- Biltong
- Marmite
- Bovril. I love Chili Bovril soup on chilly days. The Hubby thinks it’s disgusting.
- Anchovette. Anchovette and Tabasco on toasted rye. Yum!
- Crispbread

- Nando’s. Their Perinaise rocks!
- Marcel’s
- Rooibos
- Tennis Biscuits/Marie Biscuits/Romany Creams
- Bobotie
Things I’m not a fan of:
- Boerewors. Dry wors I like but boerewors at a braai I’m not too fond of.
- Rusks. I’ll eat flavored rusks but the original rusks are too bland for me.
- South African pickles. I’m used to Kosher dill pickles as opposed to English sweet and sour pickles.
- Koeksisters

- Mrs. Ball’s Chutney. Growing up without chutney makes it hard for me to like it as an adult.
Things I still have to try:
- Aromat
- Salticrax. I can’t get over the name for some reason. I can’t explain it. It just sounds like a non-food item.
Did I miss anything?
7 Responses to “My favorite South African foods”
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copperfish on April 10th, 2009
Chili Bovril is ridiculously addictive - even though I hate regular Bovril. As for Marmite, one of the best taste combinations is a Marmite and peanut butter sandwich - something you have to try.
Toby on April 11th, 2009
No rusks eh? Well pass yours over. I will be eating a grip of em during the World Cup (hopefully). TTYL! (=
sweetsour on April 11th, 2009
Copperfish-
I also hate regular Bovril but think that Marmite is delicious, especially on toast with a soft-boiled egg and Tabasco. Yum!
I’ll have to give Marmite and PB a try. Can’t say I’m totally keen on that, but I’ll give it a shot.
sweetsour on April 11th, 2009
Toby-
Are you Canadian now? Eh? You can have all the rusks you can eat if you come visit in 2010. Heck, we’ll even have a go on making them if you’d like!
Adi on April 12th, 2009
Melktert! (milk tart)
Also: tamatiebredie, waterblommetjies (not personally a fan) and Pronutro (“the most nutritious cereal in the world”)…
sweetsour on April 13th, 2009
Adi-
I’ve seen milk tarts at various shops, but I haven’t tried it yet. Who do you think makes the best milk tart? I’ve had other types of custard-type foods, but I know this is a bit different. I’ll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
As for the other stuff, I don’t think I’ve had tamatiebredie or waterblommetjies. I’ll have to give it a try. I’ve always been curious about Pronutro but the hubby won’t let me get it when we do grocery runs. I’ll have to convince him somehow..
Thanks for the comments!
Adi on May 17th, 2009
Milktart: best is definitely at our local Spar in Rosmead avenue, called “Syd’s Milktart”. Don’t know if they do it at other Spar’s? Waterblommetjie bredie I can not recommend (perhaps I’ve only had it when it tasted like dishwater with cabbage leaves in it), but tamatiebredie is brilliant - I have a recipe if you want it. And I always have Pronutro in the house, so I can sneak you a sample. Uhm, I don’t think you’ll like it. But I do.
It’s an acquired taste…