Self-Catering in Cape Town

Cape Town has many lovely restaurants, but whether you’re a foodie or you just want to save money – a home cooked meal is always a good idea. South Africa offers many great ingredients and many of them are locally produced. Meat is often a lot more affordable, the fruit is sweet, the fish is fresh and if you like a glass of wine with your meal, you will really enjoy yourself.

Meat

South Africa is a carnivorous country and if this is your first time in the rainbow nation, here are two South African words for you: “Braai” and “Biltong”. A braai is basically the South African version of a BBQ, but don’t call it that as you might offend the locals. All South Africans take pride in the tradition of getting together with friends and family, who all bring loads of meat or braaivleis to throw on the fire and then savour with a beer or two. An all time favourite on the grill is boerewors, a long and spicy beef sausage that can be enjoyed with some chutney or in a roll.

If you are looking for a little snack in South Africa, you don’t get chips or chocolate. When the locals feel peckish they present a piece of dry meat and a knife and start snacking. This genius invention of spiced and air-dried meat is called biltong. Cow, kudu, ostrich and springbok make great snacks and if you are not in the habit of carrying a knife, they do come pre-sliced as well.

Beside chops and wors for the braai South African supermarkets and butcheries offer a great variety of meat. Beef and lamb are good quality and affordable options, but if you want to try something new opt for an ostrich steak. The big bird has tasty red meat that is lean and healthy. It can be prepared just like beef.

Fruit and Veggies

A visit to one of the Fruit and Veg stores is quite a different sight from your regular European supermarket. Ripe, juicy fruit and exotic vegetables are presented in humongous piles, leaving you spoilt for choice. Here you will find many of the products you know from home, but the real joy will be discovering new flavours. A local favourite is butternut. It has a wholesome nutty taste that goes well with cinnamon. You can roast it or make a thick wholesome soup from it.

Sea Food

With so water and the nutrient-rich Benguela flowing past the city, Cape Town has to have decent sea food. It is always a nice idea to meet the fishermen at Kalk Bay or Hout Bay harbour in the morning. You can buy the fish straight from the boat. It doesn’t get much fresher than that!

If you want to come and explore the culinary possibilities of Cape Town, Cape Paradise offers self-catering accommodation in the heart of the city.

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