From Coast to Coast: the Culinary Fusions of South Africa’s ‘Rainbow’ Cuisine
South Africa, often lauded as the ‘rainbow nation’ while simultaneously consistently reported as ‘the most unequal country in the world’ is a land of contradictions, a cornucopia of equal and opposite truths which derive their validity from the culture and time in which they are perceived. The country’s long and complex history of occupation, oppression, and segregation – first through colonialism and later through the apartheid regime – has resulted in a unique blend of multiculturalism that is reflected in all areas of cultural life – including the national cuisines, composed through the dynamism of historical and contemporary foodways. Despite this melting pot of ethnicities and cultures, the question remains whether this diversity is a symbol of a unified nation or of a nation divided by difference.
South Africa’s extensive cultural and ethnic diversity finds its roots in a brutal history of colonialism – the country was occupied by the Dutch and by the British – which directly resulted in the establishment and proliferation of the ‘Cape Malay’ and the South African Indian communities. The Cape Malay people originally came to SA from a variety of South East Asian countries as slaves, prisoners, and political exiles. Similarly, the majority of South Africans of Indian origin were brought over, first as slaves during the Dutch colonial era, and later indentured workers under the British.
Today, the largest population of Cape Malays reside in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town while Durban houses the largest homogenous community of Indians outside of India itself. Although Cape Malays and South African Indians make up a relatively small percentage of the population the cultural influence that both communities have had on South Africa permeates throughout society and contributes significantly to the heterogeneity of South African identity.
In particular, the cultures of these two communities have been instrumental in the formation of South Africa’s multicultural national cuisine, which has been strongly influenced by various Asian, African, and European foodways. The complexity of South Africa’s cuisine not only highlights the ways in which diasporic foodways are shaped by intersectional identities, but also calls into question what can and should be defined as an authentic national cuisine. If food is an expression of social, cultural, personal, and political identity, then the appointment of the Cape Malay ‘bobotie’ and the Durban Indian ‘bunny chow’ as emblematic of South African cuisine is illustrative of the innately multicultural national identity of South Africa and is indicative of broader cultural implications of the nation’s ability to absorb and integrate external influences.
The Cape Malay Cuisine
The Cape Malay cuisine is a fusion of flavours and techniques brought to the Cape from the Dutch colonies in South Asia and influenced by both European settlers and the indigenous African population. It is inherently rooted in spices brought over by slaves of the Dutch colonies but was also subject to local substitutions for traditional ingredients that were unavailable, the result of which was an adapted version of homegrown recipes that became the distinctive Cape Malay cuisine. It is a culinary tradition that illustrates the diasporic reach of traditional foodways across the world as a result of colonialism and globalisation and how the intersectional identities of the Cape Malay people – Asian and African; citizen and foreigner – are reflected in the intersectional foodways of the community – Asian, European, and African; adaptive and fluid, yet traditional and ingrained.
Cape Malay food is characterised by a distinctive and aromatic combination of spices, fruit, and chillies to concoct dishes like stews, roasts, curries, and the signature dish – bobotie. While bobotie originated within the Cape Malay community, it has since spread across the country and is now often referred to as the national dish of South Africa which is demonstrative of the significant contribution the Cape Malay people have made to South African culture and identity. However, the extent to which this cuisine is embedded into the national identity, means that its complex and painful origins are often ignored. In a country where multiculturalism is so deeply entrenched, it is important to remember that it was the cruelty and hardships faced by the various ethnic groups during colonialism and apartheid that fostered the close community bonds and stubborn attachment to their unique cultures and facilitated the establishment of a diasporic cuisine unique to South Africa.
The Indian Cuisine of Durban
Much like the food of the Cape Malay people, the cuisine of the Indian community in Durban has been defined by South Africa’s complex and tumultuous history which has resulted in a collection of culinary traditions unique to South Africa. When large groups of indentured and free Indians began to land on the shores of South Africa’s east coast, the first level of fusion occurred as the customs and techniques of different Indian regions coalesced. Although strongly rooted in the traditions of multiple regions in India, the integration of African and European influences, and the modifications necessary to accommodate the availability and scarcity of traditional ingredients, means that the Indian cuisine in Durban is markedly different from traditional Indian cuisine – once again constituting an exemplar of the fluidity and connectivity of foodways that stretch across and between nations.
While Durban is renowned for its curries and has come to be seen as a culinary travel destination, factors like poverty and accessibility have played a significant role in shaping the cuisine – traditional coconut milk is replaced with maize meal (pap), a traditional African food, and vegetable oil has become one of the star ingredients which is a significant departure from traditional Indian cooking. One of the most famous dishes originating from the Durban Indian community, ‘bunny chow’ – a half-loaf of white bread, hollowed out and filled with mutton curry – is the epitome of culinary fusion representing the convergence of two ‘disparate cultures’. Although there is no official record of the origin, the dish is generally believed to have been invented as a way for Indian merchants to sell food to Black workers during apartheid when public interaction between different races was prohibited – the bread was used both to transport and disguise the food – which demonstrates the power of food as a site of political resistance and the creative adaptability of South Africans. Despite the torrid origin of this distinctly South African cuisine, its endurance and prominence as a fundamental part of SA’s national cuisine is not only a testament to the nation’s ability to celebrate difference and diversity as something that makes it unique, but also a signifier of the unifying potential of food.
The Unifying Power of South Africa’s ‘National’ Cuisine
South Africa, the ‘rainbow nation’, is the perfect example of the complexity, fluidity, and durability of foodways in a world shaped by colonial processes and globalisation. The cases of the Cape Malay and Durban Indian culinary traditions and their influence on national cuisine and identity highlights the difficulty of defining what constitutes ‘national’ and ‘authentic’ cuisines in relation to deeply intersectional identities and multicultural contexts. Concepts such as ‘national’ and ‘authentic’ are potentially less significant when we consider that cuisines are often built through the appropriation and assemblage of a range of recipes originating from different regions and ethnicities – reflecting long and often untraceable culinary histories. The ways in which the minority groups of South Africa have adapted their foodways to incorporate local ingredients and preferences demonstrates the indelible impact colonisation has had on cultural landscapes across the world. However, the innovative ways in which these groups have steadfastly preserved the integrity of their cultures and how their foodways are intimately connected to the rhythms of their everyday lives also demonstrates the durability of tradition and cultural identity.
While the political and socio-economic landscape of South Africa remains unstable and continues to reflect its violent and oppressive history of segregation and exploitation, the culturally diverse cuisine, and the celebration of diverse foodways and culinary traditions, offers a snapshot into its potential as a ‘rainbow nation’. The country’s growing reputation as a culinary travel destination serves as a further reminder of the unifying power of food in a nation that prides itself on its generous hospitality as well as the economic advantage to further embracing the diversity that is inherent to South Africa. Food is a defining element of South African identity that works to unite a nation that has been consistently divided by embracing the intersectional identities of its citizens and of the nation itself.
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