Celtnet South African Recipes and Cookery, Home Page

South Africa, officially: The Republic of South Africa (Afrikaans: Die Republiek van Suid-Afrika) is the southernmost country on the African continent. South Africa attained independence from Britain on May 31^st 1910 and became a republic on May 31^st 1961. Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in South Africa's history and politics, culminating in apartheid, which was instituted in 1948 by the National Party (although segregation existed before that time). The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990, after a long and sometimes violent struggle (including economic sanctions from the international community) by the Black majority as well as many White, Coloured, and Indian South Africans. South Africa's largest city is Johannesburg, it's executive capital is Pretoria, judicial capital Bloemfontein and legislative capital, Cape Town. South Africa as a nation comprises more that 47 million people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Major ethnic groups include the Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho (South Sotho), Bapedi (North Sotho), Venda, Tswana, Tsonga, Swazi and Ndebele, all of which speak Bantu languages (see Bantu peoples of South Africa). Christians account for 79.7% of the population. This includes Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal (Charismatic) 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, and other Christian 36%. Islam accounted for 1.5% of the population, Hinduism about 1.3%. 15.1% had no religious affiliation, 2.3% were other and 1.4% were unspecified. South Africa has eleven official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. In this regard it is second only to India in number. While each language is technically equal to every other, some languages are spoken more than others.

South Africa truly is a melting pot of cuisine styles, mixing African, European and Asian peoples, cuisines and cooking styles. Game plays an important part in the diet, especially in the traditioal braai (South African barbecue) as does fish (both saltwater and freshwater). The basis of South African cookery is a starchy staple and meat. The Eastern part of the country enjoys Malay-influenced spicy stews and the Southern part of the country is famous for its seafood. French immigrants have also led to extensive wine production in the country and South Africa is one of the world's great wine exporters. Though many of the dishes associated with South Africa, such as braais and potjies (one-pot stews) have a distinctive Dutch and Afrikaans influence the diversity of cultures in this country makes it difficult to pin down a truly distinctive form of cuisine. Indeed, what distinguishes South African cookery is the melange of styles and recipes derived from different cultures. One notable aspect of South African cookery, however, is the propensity of desserts in the country due to the European influences.