South African spices
During the 1970s, Africans migrated to Australia and introduced many cultural foods and ways of living to the Australians. Today you can find a south african shop in many parts of Australia that sell spices and condiments used in South African cooking. South Africans enjoy the unique taste of their food and the ex-pats in Australia search for ingredients needed to prepare traditional dishes of South Africa. The shops sell bolting, boerewors, Ouma risks, spices, sauces, condiments, candies and other authentic foods and groceries from Africa.
South African cuisines have complex flavours obtained by using spices liberally. Popular South African spices found in the shops are
Piri-Piri or Peri-Peri is the most famous flavour of South Africa. Also known as African Birds Eye Chilli, it grows wild in Africa and is a close relative of Tabasco pepper. Today, it has become popular and spread all over the world. It is zesty with a lemony, peppery flavour.
Durban curry powder is a spice blend used in South African curry recipes. It is very hot because it has got spicy Cayenne pepper. The other ingredients in the powder are fennel, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, fenugreek, cardamom, ginger, bay leaves, and cloves.
Cape Malay curry powder is a fragrant powder that brings a deep flavour to the dishes. It has the freshness of coriander, peppery ginger, and hints of fenugreek. Turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, fennel, mustard, and cayenne pepper give a deep flavour to this curry powder. It is used to make meat and vegetable curries.
Braai Salt is a coarse mix of sea salt, garlic, sugar, mustard, coriander, paprika, cumin, paper, chilli, oregano, hickory essence, thyme, and paprika oil. This salt is used in South African barbeque and gives a unique flavour with its balanced mix of spices with salt.
Iru is fermented locust beans that are healthy, delicious and give a deep umami flavour to savoury dishes. It has protein, natural fats and a complex taste and is a popular ingredient used to make soups.
Sumbala is a condiment made from fermented néré seeds. It is generally sold in the form of balls. It is added to soups and stews for a strong umami flavour.
Popular South African food
Potjiekos
It is a small pot stew made of different meats and vegetables. It is cooked in a three-legged cast-iron pot heated over the fire. There are many recipes to make potjiekos, but they often include lamb, chicken, pork, potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, and spices.
Bobotie
Bobotie is a Cape Malay cuisine famous among South Africans. It is a mixture of beef or lamb spiced with turmeric, bay leaves and curry paste and slow-cooked with fruits, chutney and almond.
Boerewors
Boerewors are cooked to elevate weekend barbecues. These are beef and pork sausages spiced with coriander seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, vinegar and allspice.
Denningvleis
It is a slow-cooked sweet and sour lamb stew which is another popular Cape Malay dish. It gets the sourness from tamarind and also has bay leaves, cloves and allspice. It is eaten with yellow rice and mashed potatoes.
Koeksister
It is a sweet, sticky and crunchy dessert that is popular with small children. This crunchy snack is made with braided dough dipped in a spiced syrup and fried in oil.
Biltong
Bolting is made of cured and dried meat. It is spiced slightly with coriander, pepper, brown sugar and vinegar. Sometimes onion powder, nutmeg and garlic are also added.
No matter where they live, South Africans want to eat their traditional food and snacks. They also search around for other favourite products from South Africa. Any south african shop in Australia caters to the needs of the people by providing them with products from their home country. Some locals also enjoy shopping in these places and taste South African food, spices and candies. The wide assortment of products offers welcome delicacies.
