Good Groceries

Cape Town is a melting pot of cultures and thus is home to a delightful array of culinary options. There are local (Cape Malay, Xhosa) and pan-African (Ethopian, Morrocan, etc) flavors; there is much Asian influence, particularly Indian; there’s lots of fresh seafood; there’s exotic game (springbok, ostrich). Here, in no particular order, is my top 10 list of Cape Town dishes and eating establishments.

1) Samoosas: Triangular pastry shells fried or baked and containing a savory filling of spiced chicken or minced beef.
2) Biltong: Cured and spiced strips of meat – similar to beef jerky, but with more exotic sources, such as kudu, ostrich and springbok, along with the more conventional beef.
3) The Gatsby (pictured): Think of this as a sub sandwich on steroids. Built on a giant hoagie roll, it’s stacked with meat (steak, chicken, calamari), often garnished with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, and always topped with a generous portion of hot fries (or chips in the South African/British vernacular). A full Gatsby can easily feed a family of four.
4) Hake Roll: My favorite is from Fish Hoek Fisheries, a takeout-only haven of deep-fried goodness. A buttered hamburger bun sandwiches a thick fillet of steaming-hot hake, sprinkled with salt and vinegar, all for 15 Rand (about $2 USD).
5) Smiley: A cooked sheep’s head, so named because of the trademark grin that results when the skin is cooked. A staple of Xhosa culture.
6) Hummus and Garlic Naan: Widely found in a number of restaurants, but my favorite is from Mesopotamia, a downtown Kurdish spot with dim lighting, floor seating, amazing coffee and a belly dancer whose services are included in the final bill (“1 Belly Dancer: 10 Rand”).
7) Burrito at Pancho’s: The closest thing I’ve found to genuine Mexican food in Cape Town. Pancho’s burrito is built more like a lasagna, with layers and layers of tortilla shell, meat and cheese. It’s so big, I’ve yet to finish one off at a single sitting.
8) Rooibos Tea: Unique to the Western Cape province, Rooibos (i.e., “red bush”) tea does indeed have a reddish hue, and is a delicious and healthy staple of many South Africans’ (and expatriate Americans’) diets.
9) Sundried Tomato Ciabbata Bread: I buy this at the Food Barn, a quaint little deli/bakery/bookshop near where I live in the village of Noordhoek. Carb overload and worth every calorie.
10) Breyani: A Cape Malay dish of lentils with curried chicken or beef. Can be prepared with varying degrees of spiciness. The best I’ve tasted was a spicy version prepared by a teacher friend of mine. It was almost too hot to eat, but I couldn’t stop myself. To quote one of my redneck cousins, them’s some good groceries right there!