South Africa (by Vicent and Begoña)

 Food in Southern Africa

The cuisine of South Africa is sometimes called "rainbow cuisine", as it has had a variety of multicultural sources and stages. The cuisine can be generalized as:

• Cookery practiced by indigenous people of Africa such as the Sotho and Nquni-speaking people.
• Cookery that emerged from several waves of colonialism and immigration introduced during the colonial period by people of Dutch, German, French and Indonesian descent (since 1652) Afrikaner, British descent (since 1805 and 1820 Settlers) and their slaves or servants - this includes the cuisine of the so-called Cape Malay people, which has many characteristics of Indonesia and cooking styles from neighboring colonial cultures such as Portuguese Mozambique.

In the pre-colonial period, indigenous cuisine was characterized by the use of a very wide range of foods including fruits, nuts, bulbs, leaves and other products gathered from wild plants and by the hunting of wild game. The introduction of domestic cattle and grain crops by Bantu speakers who arrived in the southern regions from central Africa since 10,000 BC and the spread of cattle keeping to Khoi and San groups enabled products and the availability of fresh meat on demand. The pre-colonial diet consisted primarily of cooked grains, especially sorghum, fermented milk (somewhat like yogurt) and roasted or stewed meat.

A typical meal in a Black South African family household that is Bantu-speaking is a stiff, fluffy porridge of maize meal (called "pap," and very similar to American grits) with a flavorful stewed meat gravy.

Rice and beans are also very popular even though they are not indigenous.

For many Black South Africans, the center of any meal is the meat.

On weekends, many Black South African families, like white South Africans, have a "braai," and the meal usually consists of "pap and veils," which is maize porridge and grilled meat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_cuisine

Traditional foods of South Africa

There is a wide variety of African wildlife such: ostrich, buffalo, kudu, impala and crocodile.

Potjiekos (small pot food)                    

Biltong (jerky)                                      

Bobotie (baked meatloaf topped with eggs) 

Bunny Chow (bread filled with curry and different types of meats) India

Koeksisters (fried pastry with syrup)     

Boerewors (sausage for braai)               

Umqombothi (light beer made with maize malt and sorghum malt, rich in vitamin B and contains little alcohol)

Maqeu (drink made from fermented mealy pap) 

 

Wine in South Africa

The first vines were planted in South Africa around 1655 and it has been established as a wine growing country since the late 17th century. Most of the vineyards are located around the Cape area, the South-western tip of the country, and a very much has rained on them since their history started; the wine in South Africa story deserves to be told in a page apart, beginning with the South Africa's wine regions.

There have been changes since the end of Apartheid in 1994.

There is a talk about the wonderful diversity of terroir in South Africa and the consequent ability to produce wines that were more a reflection of that terroir. "Variety is in our nature" is the current theme of South African wine.

http://world-food-and-wine.com/wine-in-africa

 

Would you dare to eat some ostrich, buffalo or cocodrile?

What is the most strange food you have ever eaten?

Do you eat some food using your fingers?

National Parks

 In this part of our presentation we are going to speak about South  Africa National Parks, but there are nineteen National Parks, therefore I'm just going to explain about Kruger National Park.

First of all  it we have to arrive at the country, we can find flights  from 710€ per person from Madrid to Johanesburg, or from 935€ from Madrid to Cabe town. 

Once we are in Johanesburg,  we can choose how to arrive at Kruger National Park, we have two options: by car, driving for five hours, or by plane.

When visiting the park, we can choose different types of accommodation and activities, prices fluctuate between for example three days for 645€ and four days for 1154€, always with tourist guide in Spanish language.

You can find more information in www.rhythmafricatours.com

The Kruguer park has nearly two million hectares and has the wildest fauna protected area in Afrique. We can see among others, the five biggest  species (lyons, elephants, rhinoceroses, buffalos and leopards).

Would you like to know this park? 

Do you think it is expensive traveling to South Africa?

Why do you think most people visit mainly Kenya?