Hola! (This is ghetto lingo for saying hello…)
Want to experience real South African vibes?
You better make a wise decision and explore the townships…
They are the heart of South Africa.
No jokes, townships are the best places to have incredible meals there are numerous townships all around South Africa, be it in the Mother city, Cape Town (Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Langa or Nyanga) or Johannesburg (Diepsloot, Alexandra)…
However there are a few things that every kasi has in common…
GREAT FOOD!
Still not convinced that kasi food is the best? Allow me to introduce you to this exciting culinary experience…
TOP 5 Kasi Meals:
1. Shisa’nyama
For a real taste of South Africa you can’t miss the shisa nyama (‘burn the meat’ in Zulu) to make things more interesting add in pap and a side (chakalaka).
Did You Know?
Shisa nyama originates from eGoli (Johannesburg) and it has spread out to different parts of South Africa over the years.
Today Shisa Nyama is a lifestyle and social gathering, where people come from near and far to experience the grilled meat and the vibrant atmosphere with music, laughter and getting to know each other.
The thrill of Shisa Inyama is getting to pick your meat from the flames, the meat varies from pork, beef, lamb, chicken and Vors.
2. Super loaf/ Gatsby
Cape Town is known as a cosmopolitan city, but behind all the glitz and glamour, what remains is the fast food that would definitely make you want to come for more. For many locals the Gatsby sandwich is Cape Town’s super power family meal.
This is more than just a local meal it’s a way of life, a Cape Town symbol and is deeply integrated within Cape Town’s heritage. When tourists hear ‘Gatsby’ they think about Fitzgerald’s novel.
However when you say Gatsby in Cape Town, you will receive words of encouragement like “awe masekent” because they’re thinking of a super loaf stuffed with hot chips, lettuce, tomato and other fill ins depending on your preference (polony, russian, steak or chicken).
A Gatsby is not a Gatsby if it doesn’t leave your hands dripping with sauces. The gatsby is ever changing. Initially the Gasby was made with a round roll, which has now been replaced with a long, freshly baked loaf which makes it easy to cut into shareable pieces.
The best part about eating a Gasby is that it is affordable and you can share it with friends. Never leave Cape town without sharing a lekker local meal with your friends and family Where to find the best Gatsby
3. Smiley
A smiley is not only an emoticon.
“Smiley” also means Sheep Head. “The sheep… when they die, they smile. And when you cook them, they smile. That is why we call them ‘smileys’!”
A meal of Smileys is not something offered by fancy restaurants, which is a pity. With sheep heads, you get a lot of meat coming as there are only a few bones. The only thing that is not eatable is the teeth, otherwise the tongue, eyes, cheeks are all going down to your tummy.
The best part about eating smily’s is that they are fresh everyday when you buy from people specializing in sheep head. They wake up early to clean the head, remove the fur on the head and wash it thoroughly whilst preparing it fresh for consumers.
4. Chicken feet “walkie talkies”
Walkie Talkies are braai-ed chicken feet which is South Africa’s snack meal.
But I recommend that you first try the street flamed grilled ones and you will forever thank me for introducing you to heaven.
The correct way of preparing chicken feet is to clean the skin on the outside, but due to long queues of people who can’t wait to get their hands on the chicken feet, they end up not taking off the skin.
The chefs who make them, spice them up (with just one spice… they keep the ingredients simple which makes the taste irresistible), rub in a little bit of oil which helps the walkie talkies not burn on the braai rack and to also give them that thing – “the glow end”.
5. Vetkoek
If you have been trying to lose some calories, we are sorry because we will have to disrupt that situation. You cannot not try out South African Vetkoek (fat cake).
Loose explanation of what the vetkoek is: It is a South African dough that is deep fried and served as a snack, breakfast or at lunch. This magical golden fried cake, comes in all sizes and shape depending on your preference and your cook. To experience this thrilling taste, stuff the vetkoek with anything just experiment.
For breakfast, it is usually paired with polony, cheese, russian, jam and tomato and the Joburger’s ultimate vetkoek is atchaar and polony. It’s just a rule that you can’t separate the two- they are twins. But for a more heavy meal, South African’s usually pair the vetkoek with mince.
Warning: It is better to eat a vetkoek when you don’t have anything to do afterward, because after eating it, it is Man Down.
Don’t eat this during working hours, you might get fired because it makes you want to sleep afterward…
Did you know : Who created the Gatsby?
Here is how it happened according to southafrica.net : Rashaad Pandy at Super Fisheries on Klipfontein Road is the man who claims to have invented this Cape Town classic. Pandy was busy clearing a plot of land in Athlone and on their arrival back to the shop, Pandy and his friend Froggy were hungry.
But all that was left was chips, so he heated up the chips and added some polony, achaar into a round Portuguese loaf as they ate it. As they were enjoying it, his friend Froggy said,”Laanie, this is a gatsby smash!” (meaning, it’s a winning dish).
3 Fun Facts about chicken feet:
They only cost 50c each or R1 in some parts of South Africa, but the fact is they are not more than R2…
Chicken feet is a favourite bite on the go snack in various places around the world like China, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Jamaica and Mexico
Although you might think that this might be the dirtiest part of the chicken, chicken feet is actually beneficial for your health. Common minerals that you get from chicken feet are zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. which are all important to build a healthy immune system and cope with various kinds of diseases.
What’s your best Kasi’s meal? Come on, join in the conversation Twitter: @theyoungindy Facebook: @theyoungindependents
