Heritage Day is almost here – that wonderful time when South Africa pauses to celebrate our rich, diverse roots. It’s a day for remembering where we come from, honouring different cultures, enjoying family, music, laughter … and, of course, food. What better way to spend this public holiday than cooking together, sharing stories, and tucking into meals with history and heart?
Here are a few foods rooted in South African heritage. We look at the history of these traditional dishes* and how it became engrained in our rainbow nation.
Chakalaka and pap
Chakalaka and pap is one of South Africa’s most renowned dishes, with its origins dating back to the late 1800s when mineworkers flocked to the City of Gold – Johannesburg – during the gold rush. Legend has it that mineworkers would cook canned produce such as tomatoes and beans to enjoy with their pap after a long shift in the mineshafts. It’s believed that Mozambican
mineworkers were the first to add chilli to the relish, influenced by Portuguese flavours – a spicy kick that would eventually become a defining element of any chakalaka.
Over time, mineworkers began adding whatever fresh produce they had at their disposal – carrots, onions, green peppers, cabbage, and curry spices – often with a tin of baked beans. The relish would be left to simmer and thicken, allowing the flavours to deepen, before being served over pap.
Today, chakalaka and pap are firmly rooted in South African food culture, standing proudly alongside other staples like braai, biltong, and beer.
Bunny Chow
A visit to Durban is never complete without sampling a bunny chow. While the Bunny Chow can be traced back to KwaZulu Natal area during the 1940s, no one really knows who created this uniquely South African dish. Some speculate that it started with Indian labourers who worked in the sugarcane field: these workers were looking for something convenient and disposable to carry their lunch to work every day, and thus hollowed out a loaf of bread and filled it with their vegetarian curries. Many also believe that the bread became a substitute for rotis that is traditionally eating with curries and which wasn’t easily available.
The actual term ‘bunny chow’ apparently comes from Bengalese term ‘bania’ which refers to the merchants who sold curry; ‘chow’ comes from the local South African slang word that means food. Together they make what we know as Bunny Chow.
Milk Tart
If there’s one dish deeply entrenched in Afrikaans culture, it’s milk tart. Interestingly, the milk tart we know today is a delicious fusion of Dutch heritage and Cape Malay influence.
Some say that milk tart’s origins in South Africa date back to the 1600s, when Dutch settlers brought with them the recipe for Mattentaart – a Dutch-Flemish curd-type cake made with a buttermilk custard wrapped in puff pastry. It’s likely that the settlers adapted this recipe to suit the ingredients available in South Africa, giving rise to the milk tart we enjoy today.
The Cape Malay influence is seen in the dusting of cinnamon on top of the tart. It’s believed that the Cape Malay community introduced a variety of spices, including cinnamon, from Indonesia to South Africa, leaving a fragrant mark on this beloved dessert.
Heritage Day is your invitation to connect: with your roots, with people who mean the world to you, with flavours that remind you of childhood, home, shared stories.
Roll up your sleeves, light up the kitchen, call in the kids or grandparents or neighbours, and try one of these traditional dishes - let the smells, tastes and laughter fill the house.
💛May your Heritage Day be rich with good food, full hearts and warm memories!
