Top Five South African Game Snacks
- By: Clayton Truscott
- Published: 15 June 2010
- Tags: gastronomy
A good way to fully appreciate a new country is by getting stuck into the local cuisine. So if you're feeling peckish before, during or after a game, here are our top five South African snacks tourists to this fair country should try.
1. Biltong - The snack of choice, preferred by South Africans across the board. Even the most stern vegan will tell you what they miss most about eating human food is biltong. Biltong is merely dried meat, covered in spices. It's basic stuff, but it tastes like the holy land. Beef, game, chicken, ostrich - it works with everything except pork. I've even heard of people making biltong from shark meat. You'll find it just about anywhere, and it won't cost you much.
2. Walkie Talkies - Walkie Talkies, or chicken feet and beaks, are enjoyed by most South Africans living in the rural areas. It can be prepared in a number of ways, but boiled and then battered under a grill is how its done best. A plate of walkie talkies after a night of cheering and beer will put you back on the straight and narrow.
3. Gnush (samp and beans) - Pronounced 'noosh', with a mild Xhosa click between the g and the n. This is a traditional African meal made of up maize kernals and brown beans. It is eaten by everyone, from herdsmen in the Transkei to businessmen in Johannesburg. When spiced correctly (not too much salt) and flavored by onions, it is superb. It works very well as a side dish, as it fills you up pretty quickly. You can take it to the next level by adding lamb bones and strips of meat.
4. Steers Chips - Steers are a South African fast food franchise that make the best chips on earth. I'm not lying. They are. People have died trying to steal the spice recipe.
5. Vet Koek (fat cake) - Pronounced 'fet Cook' with an Afrikaans twist. Vet koek is a guilty pleasure enjoyed by all South Africans. In a nutshell, it's deep fried dough, stuffed with curry or honey. Eating it raises your cholesterol and gives you the devil's heartburn, but it would take a lot more to stop people from coming back for more.
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