African Food

We weren't in Africa for very long compared to other continents on this trip - we only stayed six weeks in three countries. That's why I'm mixing up my food article and doing my top 8 favourite dishes overall. Here's the countdown to number one.

8

Pancakes - Tanzania (all over)

I don't specify which city the pancakes were from as they were all over and I enjoyed them as much as possible! They are thin pancakes typically eaten for breakfast (almost as thin as crepes). They were available across the country and were delicious every time. The best combo for me was stuffed with peanut butter, jam and banana. I had really bad altitude sickness on our Kilimanjaro trek, pretty much all I could eat were these pancakes with honey- they are what got me to the end!

7

Oryx Steak - Namibia (Swakopmund)

On almost every menu across Namibia you could find game meat. Typically, it just stated "game meat" and didn't specify which type so you had to ask. We tried a few different ones but the best was Oryx steak. It had the same consistency as a beef steak but its flavour was stronger and a little earthier. I would definitely recommend trying it if you get the chance!

6

Red Curry Pumpkin Soup - Tanzania (Serengeti National Park)

We had an amazing chef for our 3 day safari, he cooked up a huge amount of food every meal using only a camping stove! talk about skills. One evening he came out with pureed pumpkin soup, when we tasted it there was the unexpected flavour of red curry. It gave some depth to the soup and a little kick. I'm going to recreate this one at home for sure!

5

Hummus Avocado Toast - South Africa (Johannesburg)

In Joburg we went out for brunch at Tasha's on Melrose. It was a gorgeous restaurant with from scratch healthy cooking. I made a great choice - hummus avocado toast with roasted tomatoes and soft poached egg on top.

4

Malva Pudding - Namibia (Windhoek)

I absolutely love desserts so surprisingly there is only one on this list but it is one to remember. Malva pudding is warm spongy cake with sticky caramel and custard soaked into it. It is very sweet and reminds me of sticky toffee pudding.

3

Chapati - Tanzania (Arusha)

Chapati is a pan made whole wheat bread that is similar to roti just a little thicker. You can easily pull it apart with its flaky texture and dunk it into any sauce. I would routinely clean my plate with it! Chapati is a perfect pair with the next item on my list.

2

Beef Ugali - Tanzania (Arusha)

This dish is a incredibly delicious beef stew with tender slow cooked meat. It had a thick tomato based sauce with flavours of curry and garlic. We ordered this at most meals and always cleaned up every drop of stew with chapati.

1

Salomie - South Africa (Cape Town)

My top pick for food in Africa is salomie from the Bo Kaap neighbourhood in Cape Town. This neighbourhood specializes in Malaysian/South African fusion. Salomie is a super popular roti wrap and ours was filled with chicken curry. Every bite was incredible with bold and spicy flavour! It is a must try!