food and beverage

The highlight of South African living is the breakfast
desserts
snacks and drinks. Easy to please anyone. Breakfast varies between “mieliepap” and “beskuit”. “Mieliepap” is the same consistency as polenta and served with a teaspoon of sugar
butter and milk. A great creamy and healthy breakfast to see you through the morning hours. “Beskuit” is rusks
dough baked in the oven
broken apart and then places back in the oven to dry out. The perfect breakfast
specially for those living on farms
is home made rusks
dunked into your morning coffee. If you are more of a tea lover
try the great local herbal tea called “rooibos”

During the morning you can chew on some “biltong” which is salty dried meat or “dro๋wors”
which is dried sausage. You can not watch any rugby or cricket match without this salty snack. By now it is time for more coffee served with banana
ginger of mealie bread
smeared with butter. Mealie bread is a sweet bread
baked with sweet corn. You will probably wonder why we have such an obsession with mealies? Well
mealies basically are Africa’s staple food. We use it to make breakfast
bread
crisps (or chips) and many more.

After you finish this
it is time for your main meal of the day. And then the BEST course arrives
the dessert. Most puddings are baked pies served with custard and ice cream or a special sauce. Malva pudding is one of the old time favourites
a great
sweet tasting spongy apricot dessert with a lovely sweet sauce. Cottage pudding is a type of cake pudding served with a special white wine sauce.

If you prefer a colder dessert
this is the place to be. Enjoy a fresh fruit salad with ice cream
made from local seasonal fruit. The most famous fruits are grapes
apples
naartjies (a type of tangerine)
peaches
apricots
mangoes
melons and many more. There is nothing more refreshing than a fresh fruit salad. If you like ice cream
there are special treats in store for you as well. Try the watermelon or papaya flavoured ice cream in a cone or on its own.

As a special treat
why not try a Dom Pedro? This is ice cream with a little drop of milk and a shot of your favourite whiskey of liqueur. Try Amarula liqueur
made from the potent marula fruit or van der Hum liqueur
made from fresh naartjies. This is a treat you should not pass on.

Later the afternoon you can enjoy some “koeksisters”
a very sweet delicacy. Afrikaans “koeksisters” are twisted pastries
deep fried and then sweetened with a very sweet sauce. Another favourite of mine is “ystervarkies”
a sponge cake
dunked in a home made chocolate sauce
rolled in coconut! Doesn’t that just sound magnificent?

If you prefer something less sweet
try the “melktert” (milk tart). This is a milk-based tart
absolutely gorgeous if you eat it warm
just as it is made. If you want something savoury
try the “souttert” (savoury tart) consisting mostly of vienna sausages
cheese
onions
herbs and egg.

For the evening you can enjoy one the best known foods
“vetkoek”. This is a treat. You can enjoy “vetkoek” in three ways. Dunk it in your tea
butter with syrup and cheese or stuffed with curry mince. No matter which one you choose
you will not be disappointed. If you are looking for something smaller
try the “plaatkoekies” (almost like crumpets) served with marmite or syrup or maybe try some pancakes with cinnamon sugar?

During the day you will never go thirsty. If you like warm drinks
there are the many varieties of strong coffees
regular tea
“rooibos” tea
hot chocolate and my favourite
milo. This is a great drink filled with vitamins and minerals
made with warm or cold milk. If you prefer cold drinks
try the various ice teas and fruit juices. Guava
orange
grinadella
fruit cocktail
grape
peach
pear
apple
apricot and mango are only a few choices you have in fruit juices. Guava and mango must be two of the most loved choices.

If you are looking for a bottle of wine to accompany you meals
there are hundreds of local Cape wines to choose from. You will be spoilt for choice. Make sure you try as much as you can and enjoy the hospitality while you are visiting the rainbow country
South Africa.

These are only a few of our great traditional recipes. There are so many more to try
so start now and enjoy!