Glossary of Foods

Amadumbe: Tubers boiled and peeled, enjoyed on their own or as part of a meat stew.

Amasi: Sour-milk often mixed with hard maize porridge. very popular in rural and township areas.

Beans: Cooked as part of a stew, boiled on their own, mixed with puthu into a thick mush, or pounded with puthu into a dish called isithwalaphishi.

Breyani: A blend of spicy curry, cloves, ginger and rice soaked overnight in yoghurt, speciality on offer in many Indian households and restaurants.

Bunny-chow: There is no Durban without bunny-chows. Using half a loaf of white bread, with the hard end as a base, scoop out the middle, pack full with curry and sambals and replace the inside as a lid. An authentic Durban phenomenon.

Cane Rat: A delicacy enjoyed by rural folk.

Chicken Feet: Some people might sneer at our chicken feet, but township folk salivate at the mere mention of this snack called 'walkie talkie'.

Chillies: Hot chilli is the stuff eaten by any self-respecting Durbanite, goes with salad and chutneys.

Curries: Thanks to the Durbanites of Indian extraction, the majority of meals served in Durban households are curries.

Dhania: Fresh green coriander leaves used to flavour curries.

Fish: The turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean teem with a variety of fish ranging from shad to bass. Shad fishing has become so popular that the authorities have introduced strict laws restricting the number of fish one can take home. The annual sardine-run in May has Durbanites taking full advantage of the harvest.

Fruit: Subtropical Durban, the 'Banana City' with fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pawpaws, litchis, pineapples and coconuts.

Pap and vleis: Durbanites enjoy their braai (barbeque). In the townships and at taxi ranks there are shisanyama outlets where you can buy a piece of meat and braai it on the fire that is always going.

Pan: Leaf of the betel tree, wrapped around lime and creca-nut parings, is chewed as a palate cleanser after a meal.

Roti: A pancake made of flour, and filled with curry.

Sambals: Fresh, chopped onion, tomato, chillies and sometimes coriander.  Served as a side dish with curry.

Samoosa: A three-sided deep fried triangle with spicy curry fillings.

Sorghum: Granules are ground into a fine mixture for breakfast cereal.

Sugar: The 'gold' for Durban. Freshly squeezed cane juice is another favourite.

Uputhu: or Putu is a dry maize porridge enjoyed with a variety of stew dishes or roasted meats.

Vegetables: Colourful varieties grow in abundance, including juicy pumpkins, potatoes, amadumbe, cabbages, carrots , beetroot, mielies (corn)  and sweet potatoes.