south african food

attended South African Freedom Day reception in Beijing. unlike many receptions with the usual hotel buffet food, the highlight was the delicious South African food prepared by the spouses of diplomats from the embassy. I was told the food was basically home-made and very authentic. Having grown up on a diet of Wilbur Smith books, many of the dishes were not unfamiliar like biltong and bobotie, but it was the first time I've tried them. Overall, they were delicious and tasty due to influences from Indian and Malay cuisines. the excellent South African wines went well with the food too!
my favourite of the evening was chakalaka, a vege stew of onions and beans. slightly spicy and very tasty.
the bobotie, made from beef, tasted sweet from dried fruits. it looked like lasagne but tasted like very smooth yam due to the fine texture. sounds weird but quite delicious.
Biltong, dried beef very much like jerky. lightly spiced with pepper.
Boerewors, beef sausages
Lamb tripe, surprisingly tender and yummy. there's a Chinese muslim dish in Beijing that's very similar to this South African dish, but not anywhere nearly as tender.
the steamed bread went very well with the stew and bobotie. tastes like very soft bread but not crumbly, or soggy very good texture.
Putupap, made from corn meal. very similar to "grits" from Southern US cooking, but this is smoother. it's a carbo dish like the steam bread.
milk tart dessert. light and not too sweet.