Movement and Migration
Foodways of the Western Cape have long been shaped by the movement of people into and out of the Cape. Learn more about food as routes and crossroads.
Africa Asia Europe satellite image with routes indicated by Stephen WesselsDepartment of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Museum Service
The Western Cape: a global crossroads
Foodways of the Western Cape have long been shaped by the movement of people into and out of the Cape. Migration, colonialism, forced removals, migrant labour, enslavement, indenture, settlement, and travel have woven a web of truly global flavours, feasts, and food practices.
Spice wars
The lucrative trade in spices was one of the drivers of 17th- and 18th-century Indian Ocean colonial incursions. Under the Dutch East India Company (VOC), enslaved people and political exiles were brought to the Cape from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and other parts of the VOC empire.
As a result, many "Cape" dishes carry the influence of cuisines from these places: the sweet, mild flavours of bobotie, rich complex breyanis and curries, the warm spices of Sunday morning koesisters.
Biryani by Stephen WesselsDepartment of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Museum Service
Jumana Carr’s chicken breyani
"My mom and her family used to make breyani over two days. I do it differently, so it takes about two and a half hours. My mom always says: if my grandmother came out her grave, she'd fall back down again if she saw how I make it, because my methodology has changed so much!"
Cliffy Pillay’s chicken curry
Cliffy is originally from Durban, descended from Indian indentured labourers brought to South Africa by the British in the 1800s. He makes some of the best chicken curry in Swellendam. His 12-year-old daughter has learnt to cook this dish perfectly just by watching her dad.
A continental food heritage
Migration from across the African continent has brought a host of new ingredients and recipes to the Western Cape. Somali, Ethiopian, Rwandan, Congolese, Cameroonian, Nigerian and many other cuisines and foods have added a new layer of richness to Western Cape foodways.
Jane Nshuti’s cassava leaves and sorghum
Jane left Rwanda as a child in the wake of the 1994 genocide. Today she has a thriving business as a vegan chef specialising in Pan-African cuisine. This dish is made using her own secret chilli and spice blend, and is one that especially reminds her of family and home.
Jane's spices by Stephen WesselsDepartment of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Museum Service
A universal language
"In Kenya, I couldn't speak English or Swahili, I couldn't play with other kids. I remember being in the kitchen with one of my cousins learning to make chapattis, because that was the only safe place I could find. That's really why I chose the career I'm in now."
- Jane Nshuti
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