South African Agriculture & Food

(The Republic of South Africa)

South Africa is a cultural melting pot. The coastline provides an great amount and variety of seafood. The fertile soils and ideal climate provide a range of agricultural products. Fusion of cultures is common due to the diverse backgrounds of occupants of the land. Seafood, meats, barbeque, fruits, vegetables and side dishes common to South African culture can be washed down with beer and also the locally made wine from the Cape (South Africa Information).

A typical South African meal consists of colorful, freshly grown foods (South Africa Info).

 A likely meat dish would be mutton (sheep), beef, pork or seafood (Diets of Africans). 

Vegetables and fruit are prepared in many different ways. They are added to the meat, made into chutney, atjar (hot pickle relish introduced to S.A. by Malay's) or salads (Diets of Africans). 

South African desserts have strong Dutch influences and may be a fruit filled bread pudding or koeksisters (braided dough dipped in sweet syrup) (South Africa Connected). 

Wine from the Cape is very popular as well! It has been part of the culture for more than 350 years and is becoming popular around the world especially for it’s “easy drinking" (South Africa Info).

For the past five years, agricultural exports have contributed on average about 6.5% of total South African exports. Exports increased from 5% (1988) to 46% (2009) of agricultural production (Van Niekert). A great variety of fruits and vegetables are grown in South Africa include bananas, pineapples, pau-pau (papaya), mangoes, avocadoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, and cabbage. Nonetheless, Africa is centered on a staple crop, usually rice or maize, served with a stew. The most common dish made from cornmeal is called mealie meal, or pap in South Africa. White South Africans (Dutch descendants called Afrikaaners), Europeans, and Asian Indians in Africa have diets similar to their countries of origin. In urban areas, however, the diet of (black) Africans is increasingly dependent on meat, much like the diet of some West African pastoral tribes, as well as on empty calories from prepackaged foods similar to those found in the West. The result is an unbalanced diet (Levy).

Food Etiquette

Food etiquette in South Africa is mostly westernized, with some of its own idiosyncrasies. For instance, it's acceptable to eat pasta twirling it onto a fork with aid of a spoon, and lobster with your hands. The popular braai (barbeque) is another occasion where you can use your hands. In rural areas, traditional stew and mealie pap are also eaten with the hands - use your right hand only and roll the pap into a ball with your fingers, then dip it into the stew and eat. Most restaurants supply bread rolls as you wait for your meals - these should be broken and buttered a piece at a time. At fine dining restaurants, dress a little more formally towards a 'smart-casual' look. Most other eateries, however, are extremely informal, and in the many family-friendly establishments South African food etiquette is relaxed. If you are invited to dine at the home of South Africans or share a braai with them, it is good etiquette to take a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers, or small gifts as tokens of appreciation (South African Food Etiquette).

Social Aspects of South African Food

There are many different cultures that are present in South Africa alone, with the most prevalent influences from the Dutch, French, Indian, and German settlers. Along with an increase of trade throughout South Africa, Europe, and India by the Dutch East India Company came the introduction of new people and cuisines to the already established South African culture. Today, the law even recognizes eleven different official languages amongst the numerous others that are spoken in that area. Being made up of so many different cultures is reflected in their wide variety of food customs and cultures (Coplan).

 Traditional way of making mielepap

Although there are many different influences on South African food, traditional African food is  generally cooked  over an open flame or a thre-legged pot called a potjie. Meat is the main part of every meal, and is accompanied by a starch called miele pap or mazie porridge, potatoes, or rice dish. The vegetables most commonly used are Beetroot, carrots, cabbage and pumpkin and are usually included as a side dish to the meal. Other staple South African foods include tripe, morogo (wild spinach), amadube (sweet potato and peanut mash), chakalaka (spicy relish served with the main course), and boerewors (a spicy sausage served in a roll similar to the American hot dog) (Traditional).

Melie pap, boerewors en sous (maize porridge, sausage and sauce) is a traditional staple with all South Africans. 

This love of meat in South African culture originated in the pre-colonial period when natives saw beef as the most important and high status meat; often the ribs of the slaughtered animal would be given the chief of the villages as a gift. Also established before early colonization was the act of beer brewing. The traditional, unfiltered, and cloudy beer was brewed from sorghum and was so prized that during weddings it was used as a gift that one family could give to another family These two traditional values are displayed in one of the most important traditions in South African food culture: braai, or barbeque (South African).

  Boerewors on a braai

 A braai (rhymes with fry) is similar to the American potluck where the social event is casual and laid back. Men usually stay outside and grill the meat consisting of boerewors, sosaties, kebabs, marinated chicken, pork and lamb chops, steaks, and sausages of different flavors and thickness. In the coastal regions, fish and rock lobster are also grilled. While the men are outside, the women will prepare the rest of the meal in the kitchen. These side dishes include pap (ground corn maize) eaten with tomato or onion sauce or spicy chakalaka, salads, vegetables, and desserts. Once the meal is ready it is usually eaten outside since the since social events are usually held in summertime (Smith).

National Braai Day Posters

The social gathering of a braai is so significant to the South African culture that Braai Day was degniated on September 24^th each year, also on the same day as their Heritage Day (Smith). The day was created to promote expression, historical inheritance, language, and unite South Africans of all heritages. Since people of South Africa come from so many different backgrounds, the day was created with the intent to bring everyone together for a celebration that everyone could enjoy (SA Unites).

 

Men enjoying a Braai in Cape Town

For South African holidays, a special meal may consist of rock lobster tail, lamb, or pork served with a side of cabbage and miele bread. Other side dishes that would be served are chopped vegetables, pickled fruits and vegetables called atjar, yams, geel rice, and green beans. After dinner, a common dessert eaten is melktert which is similar to a rice puddings. South Africans from a Muslin descent will eat this dessert after Ramadan after sunset (Freeman).

Traditional South African Health Beliefs & Values

The World Health Organization classifies traditional medicine in South Africa as:

“The sum total of all knowledge and practices, whether explicable or not, used in diagnosis, prevention and eliminations of physical, mental, or societal imbalance, and relying exclusively on practical experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, whether verbally or in writing.”

The study of traditional medicine and healers is coined by medical anthropologists as “ethnomedicine”. In South Africa, there are generally two kinds of traditional healers, sangomas or izinyangas (Richter). 

Around 80% of the South African population consult sangomas or inzinyangas for medical related issues. (South African Tourism). 

Sangomas

These traditional healers play the role of a diviner-diagnostician. Sangoma's believe they are not healers by choice, they are called by ancestors to be healers. During the ceremony they talk in tongues, chant, play the drums and go in to a trance where they communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. If the healing fails, they believe there is a negative impact on the person such as illness, instability or insanity. These healers are expected to diagnose hidden illnesses behind someone's misfortune or sickness so they can prescribe the appropriate actions to be taken (South Africa Tourism).

Izinyangas

These are the herbal healers of South Africa who commonly work with sangomas in healing, but specialize in purely physical illnesses. Izinyangas heal using herbs and natural indigenous African plants (Richter). The organization that represents all registered practitioners of Phytotheraphy in South Africa is called The South Africa Association of Herbal Practitioners (SAAHP). 

HIV/AIDS

South Africa with the highest population of HIV/AIDS

The largest health issue in South Africa is the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In fact, South Africa has the largest amount of people with HIV/AIDS in the world. The most recent statistics from 2011 report that about 5.6 million people were infected with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. There were 270,000 reported deaths due to HIV/AIDS in 2011 and an estimated 2.1 million children were left orphans due to AIDS (UNAIDS). According to the World Health Organization, South Africa has a maternal mortality ratio of 310 deaths per 100,000 live births (WHO). 

What’s being done to aid the epidemic?

The South African government has been fighting against the epidemic with programs like “Ketlaphela”, a 6 billion dollar pharmaceutical plant that is expected to be finished in 2016 (South African Government Info). However, seeing that 80% of the South African population consult with traditional healers, branches of the counseling Non-Governmental Organizations Lifeline provide workshops to train traditional healers in basic counseling skills, personal growth, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Meanwhile, healers are practicing a technique that uses traditional herbs to magically “lock” women and immobilze men from sexual relations outside of marriage (Richter).

Other medical issues relevant to South Africa include malaria, tuberculosis, and malnutrition. 

South African Health Care

There is health care in South Africa, however it thought to be limited to those with coverage or the money to pay for treatments. The South African government-subsidized public hospitals are overstressed, and understaffed. However, there is a highly developed traditional medical sector of herbalists and diviners who provide treatment for physical and psycho-spiritual illnesses. U.S. practitioners should be aware that there is a shortage of health care practitioners in South Africa, and that most of the population is not partial to western medicine (Coplan).

Therapeutic Uses of Foods/Herbs

Milk is commonly used to aid illnesses in South Africa. The Vatsonga people who are located in the Republic of South Africa use a home remedy of milk to treat the sick child, followed by isolation, sexual restrictions and cultural ceremonies. All milk diets can help prevent dehydration when patients are sick (Lebese). 

Sugar, peanuts, and vegetable oil are distributed in South Africa through a program called Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food, which aids malnourished children throughout the world. They also import milk powder, and vitamin mineral mix (WHO). 

 Sutherlandia (left) and Hypoxis hemerocallidea (right)

These two native plants to South Africa are used in treating many ailments, but most commonly known for their treatment to HIV/AIDS. Sutherlandia has also been used in the treatment of cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, influenza, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, peptic ulcers, gastritis, reflux esophagitis, menopausal symptoms, anxiety, and clinical depression (Mill). 

Aloe marlothii: Used in S.A. as a dried powder in snuff. It's very dangerous and can cause cancer. If plant’s leaves are boiled in sugar water can be used for worm infection and medicine for tape worms (Oxenham).

Agapanthus: Used for healing in South Africa, used as medicinal and magical healing plant. The Xhosa women take its root after 6 months of pregnancy to ensure an easy birth. After birth the child is washed in the same substance before breastfeeding for strength and health. Other tribes believe it brings fertility and pregnancy. The Zulu tribe of SA uses plant as a treatment for heart disease, chest pains, tightness, paralysis, coughs and colds (Oxenham). 

A South African Meal

Bobotie

Prepared by: Jillian Koetsier

Making bobotie was a unique culinary and sensory experience. The spices the recipe calls for are the ones in the very back of my cabinets and have probably never been used before but they added the intense flavor of the vegetables, fruit and meat. The recipe was very easy to find on food.com. When I told my family I was making a “South African meatloaf” for dinner, they didn’t really know what to expect. My mother and I ate it but my brothers and father did not really care for it. I can understand why, considering there was fruit in something that we wouldn’t normally put fruit in. I thought the dish was savory and interesting. This isn’t something I would necessarily make again but it was a good experience!

Here's how I made bobatie:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (750 g minced meat) or 1 1/2 lbs lamb (750 g minced meat) 

oil (for frying) 2 slices white bread, normal thickness 

1/2 cup milk (125 ml)

1 large onions or 2 smaller onions 

4 teaspoons curry powder, very mild (Cape Malay is the best) 

1 tablespoon breyani spices, generous, crushed* (see note below) 

1/2 teaspoon turmeric 

1 tomato, ripe, peeled and chopped 

1/2 teaspoon sugar 

1 apple, peeled and coarsely grated 

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind 

1/4-1/2 cup seedless raisin (this is for you to decide) 

2 teaspoons salt 

2 tablespoons apricot jam 

1 egg 

3/4 cup milk (200 ml) 

12 -16 almonds, whole, blanched (or use split almonds) 

Extra: 1 egg, plus 1/2 cup milk, and 1/3 teaspoon turmeric

 Directions: 

1) *It might not be easy to find the breyani mix of spices we can get here. But it is only a mix of some or all of the following spices, which you could mix yourself and crush or process coarsely: fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, pimento berries, cardamom, black pepper, star anise, bay leaves and cassia or cinnamon sticks. 

2) Set oven at 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius For fan/convection ovens the heat can be 10 deg. lower. 

3) In a small bowl, tear up the slices of bread roughly, and pour over the 1⁄2 cup milk. Set aside. 

4) Peel and chop the onion. Heat about 3 tablespoons oil in a large pot. Fry the onion over medium heat until translucent. 

5) Add the curry powder, coarsely crushed breyani spices and turmeric. Stir, and let the spices fry for a few minutes. Add more oil if they stick: usually quite a bit of oil is needed. 

6) Add the chopped, peeled tomato, sugar, grated apple and lemon rind and stir through. Fry for a minute, then add the meat. 

7) Break up the meat so that the ground meat is loose. Add the salt. Stir often, and mix through with the spice mixture. 

8) Add the apricot jam, and stir so it melts into the meat mixture. 

9) When the meat is sort of medium done, remove the pot from the heat. Stir through and let cool a little. 

10) Take the bread which has been soaking in the milk, and break it up into wet crumbs. The bread will have absorbed all the milk. Add the milky crumbs to the meat mixture, and mix through. 

11) Break the egg in a bowl, whisk, and add the milk. 

12) Add this milk-egg mixture to the meat as well. 

13) Turn into a greased oven dish, and stud with almonds on top. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven. 

14) Whisk the last egg with the milk and enough turmeric to turn the mixture a nice yellow colour. Take the meat out of the oven, pour over the custard, and bake about 15 minutes longer, or until the egg custard has set.

Mielie pap

Prepared by: Maria Camozzi

For my meal I decided to make the mielie pap, which is an important, traditional staple of the South African diet that is practically found in almost every meal! Mielie pap is a maize porridge that is made out of ground corn meal and is cooked to a thick consistency. It is usually accompanied by a meat dish or a tomato and onion stew, or vegetables. In the northern parts of the country and in the Cape-provinces, it is enjoyed as a breakfast food. It is usually served hot, or can be fried after it has cooled. 

  The recipe I found online called for: 
(serving 2 people)

• 1 cup mielie-meal (white-cornmeal or grits) –I used white cornmeal
• 2 ¾ - 3 cups water
• ½ tsp. salt or to taste 
• butter or margarine (optional)

Directions: In a pot bring the water and salt to a boil. When boiling, gradually pour in the mielie meal, making sure to stir continuously to get rid of any lumps. Cook the mix for 3-4 minutes while still stirring constantly; it should form a thick, goopy, white mixture. Then turn the heat down to low, add a small amount of butter to the pap, close the lid on top of the pot and let cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve with stew, soup, vegetables, or a gravy.

Chakalaka Vegetable Stir-fry

Prepared by: Mary Skilling

I decided to venture towards the vegetable side of South African cuisine. Chakalaka is a spicy South African vegetable stir fry that can be made in a variety of different ways. Some recipes are served hot, some are served cold, some have beans and ginger root, others have noodles and bouillon cubes. It's a versatile recipe that is commonly served with miele pap, samp, and stews. Some consider chakalaka a side dish while others will argue that it's a sauce. Needless to say, this South African dish can be shaped to the individual's preference. I decided to make my dish without beans or noodles, and stick to the vegetable aspect of the stir fry. My mom wasn't fond of the ginger root, but I thought it was a delicious addition to the meal!

Here's how I decided to make chakalaka:

1 1/2 onions

1 green bell pepper

2 medium carrots

2 peppers

2 tomatoes

2 tablespoons grated ginger root

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 to taste pepper

1 to taste salt

1 to taste curry powder

.25 cup of water

 Directions: Slice the onion and pepper first and place in a large skillet with oil on medium heat until the onion turns white. Then grate the carrots in to the stir fry, followed by sliced tomatoes, sliced bell pepper and grated ginger root. Add spices and water then cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.