Need-to-know slang - try this while in South Africa

Beer - The beers widely available in South Africa are Castle, Tafel, Amstel, Hansa, Black Label and Windhoek and Tafel from Namibia. These beers a complimented by a wide range of foreign imports.

Boerewors - A South African Speciality Sausage with spices often cooked at a braai. You can have it as a snack, a mains or in a roll.

Biltong - Biltong is a South African favourite. It is dried meat. Beef, springbok, kudu, impala and other game is used in this cured meat treat. It's really good and so is droëwors, dried boerewors, try it.

Cape Wines - Excellent wines are produced in the Western Cape and there are reds and whites to please even the pickiest of palettes. Wine estates are open to tourists for visits, sales and tasting. The price is good, the setting is beautiful and the wine is excellent in this African wine producing region. Franschoek, Stellenbosch, Robertson and Paarl are of particular interest.

Cap Classique - South Africa's very own bubbly is made in the traditional Methode Champagnoise.
Seafood - The seafood is delicious in this part of the world. Calamari, crayfish, mussels, hake, yellowtail and kingklip are popular choices. For a local speciality, try snoek, a barracuda like fish that is great smoked or fried.

Pies - For those not too concerned with their health or in need of a quick bite to eat, pies are widely available at rest stops and supermarkets.

Bobotie - Bobotie is basically a Cape Malay Shepherd's pie. Egg, mince, sultanas and spices are used as main ingredients and are complimented with rice and chutney when eaten. It's slighly spicy and delicious.

Potjiekos - Potjiekos is made in a potjie, a cast iron pot. Potjiekos is a slow cooked stew of lamb, chicken or beef with vegetables. Many a saturday afternoon is spent around the fire chatting as the potjie simmers away.

Koeksisters - Twisted pastries that have been soaked in syrup.

Milktart - Milktart is a crusty pastry filled with a milky sweet filling.

Rusks - Rusks are dried bread made with buttermilk and aniseed. Dip in coffee - great!!

Braaivleis - Barbecue meat - lots of braais, barbecues, are done daily in South Africa.