Durban’s influence on South African Indian cuisines

South Africa is allegorically a melting pot of various cultures adopted from different regions. The dense political and colonized past influenced by the Zulu warriors, the Indian inhabitants, the Dutch settlers and the British settlers fused the flavors of the cuisines brought to South Africa. The ingredients and spices collected by South Africans are from all over the world. There are several districts and provinces in the country, among them Durban is one of the cities that was influenced by Indian cuisines and cooking styles. Many people are unaware of the fact, but some prominent writers have described Durban’s influence on South African dishes on food blogs in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg and elsewhere. This outstanding article shows the influence of food and the origin of the people in Durban in South Africa.

history of durban

People may be surprised by the fact that Durban has the largest population of Indian immigrants. In 1860, during Apartheid, workers were imported from India to South Africa to work on the sugar plantations. During that time, Durban became the place where the Indians were kept. Time transformed South Africa into a democratic country and the early colonial city of Durban became densely populated with subcultural and Indian habitats.

Kitchen Foundation

Each cuisine and its ingredients have a specific origin. For example, Thai cuisine focuses on ingredients like ginger, coconut, and lemongrass. Italian cuisine relies heavily on tomato, garlic, and basil. Indian cuisines are a combination of many spices like cardamom, black pepper, chili, cumin, coriander leaves/seeds, bay leaves, etc. The spices and ingredients are the symbols of the cuisines brought to South Africa. However, Durban in South Africa is popular for Indian recipes like curries and spices due to the Indian immigrants in the city.

Previously, people in South Africa used to avoid coconut milk and cornmeal, but now locals and visitors to the country love Indian food ingredients like coconut and cornmeals. Restaurants in South African cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg also serve Indian cuisine made with spices.

Here are some examples of South African Indian cuisines available in cities like Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, etc.

1: bunny food

This is a hybrid recipe made from unsliced ​​bread hollowed out like a bowl and filled with spicy curry. The term ‘Bunny’ is derived from the Indian word ‘Bania’, meaning merchant or spice trader.

Story behind the kitchen

During Apartheid, Indian and Zulu populations worked and lived in KwaZulu Natal, but under the ‘segregation law’, Indians were not allowed to serve the Zulu, so Indians were sent to Durban. In the city, they taught various cuisines to the native South Africans and began preparing Indian dishes such as Bunny Chow in restaurants and at home. The local native liked the recipe and later this hybrid food became world popular but known as a South African dish.

2: Samosa

This food is called Samoosas from an Indian word ‘Samosa’, flour patties filled with potatoes and peas. This snack can be served for breakfast in the morning and at night. Samoosas remain popular in both India and South Africa due to their salty tops and spicy filling. People of all ages love this food for its crunchy, crunchy texture.

Story behind the snack

During Apartheid in Durban in South Africa, the popularity of this cuisine was rich because people were plunged into poverty and at that time potatoes were cheap and easy to cook. Therefore, immigrants from India began to cook potatoes with salt and some other spices and put them in little bags of flour. After the procedure, they used to fry the sandwich in deep oil. The crispy, crunchy texture became popular all over the world, including Durban and other cities in Africa.

3: Cape Malay Curry

Cape Malay is a curry recipe, which can be cooked with chicken or lamb. It is a traditional recipe made by the Indians. This curry is a stew made from a combination of onions, garlic, coriander leaves, curry leaves, tomato, salt, and other Indian spices such as cumin, coriander seeds, chili, turmeric powder, and curry powder.

Story behind the kitchen

Not only in India, this cuisine was also popular in Afghanistan. The people of India and Afghanistan introduced the people of South Africa with this spicy recipe after they arrived in the country. Previously the name of the recipe was “Malay Curry”, but later it became popular in Durban and Cape Town. The people of Cape Town appreciated the recipe and the city’s restaurant chefs called Cape Malay Curry ‘Malay Curry’.

4: Chakalaka

This is a popular dish loved by the South African community originating from India. The Zulus named Chakalaka ‘Amasi’ which is a thick fermented curry combined with lentils, green vegetables, corn and Indian spices. Restaurants often serve the nutritious cuisine with rice or porridge.

Story behind Chakalaka

During the adverse period of Apartheid, people were becoming thin due to battles, poverty and discrimination policies between Indians and South Africans. Therefore, Indian immigrants from Durban tried to gather some vegetables and cook this curry with some spices because eating such nutritious food used to help them gain strength to fight against problems.

conclusion

These points are the main reasons why Durban is famous for Indian spices and its amazing cuisines came from creative minds. Several prominent food blogs from Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria have also mentioned the name of these recipes and ingredients, but few people are familiar with the influence and stories behind these recipes.