South African Spices and Condiments In South African Recipes

South Africa has more international cuisines originating from different parts of the world than any other country. Here, you will get indigenous African cuisines, Indian foods, Dutch and Portuguese cuisines. But the cuisines are not as distinctive as those from other cultures. But it has more complex spices and flavors compared to those from other countries. Here are some of the spices and condiments from South Africa, which you can use to spice up your food.

Peri-Peri

It could be spelled as PeliPeli, Piripiri or anything, depending on which part of Africa you visit. But it refers to pepper that brings heat to the cuisines. They are hot savory that is used as condiment, especially with South African barbecue. Piripiri could also be used to season the trinchado recipe- a Portuguese dish. It can be dried and blended with other spices such as lemon peel, paprika, black pepper.  

Durban curry powder

It originates from Kwazulu Natal province in Durban. It is among the best carry powders you can ever get in the world. It should be remembered that Durban is mostly inhabited by Indian immigrants from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. It is the reason why most of the South African cuisines are a little bit spicy compared to those from the other parts of the world.

The curry powder is red since it is mixed with red pepper to make it hot. It also contains other ingredients like cinnamon and cardamom which make the curry powder quite aromatic.

Cape Malay

It is another sweat south African curry powder with Java, Malaysia, and South India highly influence. It was brought to the country by the slaves who used to work for the Dutch.  It is a sweet spice that is normally used in making Cape Malay dishes such as sosaties and bobotie.

Braai salt

It is a local condiment that is common in all South Africa’s ethnicities. It includes ingredients such as cumin, coriander, and mustard. The spice can be used in cooking meats such as kudu, ostrich, and even beef. The ingredient used to make the condiment varies, but the final result is that you get a highly aromatic and savory product.

Bay leaves

It is used to prepare bobotie, which is ranked amon the best dishes in South Africa. The cuisine consists of seasoned meat with eggs. It also contains bay leaves that give it a camphoraceous flavor, although you can use lemon leaves as well. Of course, you will get plenty of other spices and condiments that you can use to spice up food by the South Africans. However, peri-peri, Durban Curry powder, and cape Malay will not miss in the delicious South African cuisine. Also, Bay leaves and Braai salt are becoming popular and are commonly used to spice South African cuisines.