Tasting Africa
Words by Russel Wasserfall
The Biscuit Mill market is a vibrant and popular attraction in Cape Town that offers a diverse African food experience.
Cape Town’s tourism industry is booming. With summer season arrivals from abroad climbing year-on-year since the pandemic, the 2023/2024 holiday period far exceeded pre-2020 levels. The ‘Mother City’ draws visitors from around the globe to enjoy the natural beauty, exceptional climate and booming culinary scene of South Africa. Already brimming with a diversity of experiences resulting from both its indigenous and colonial European past, Cape Town is increasingly a lens through which rich multi-cultural elements of the entire African continent are visible.
Slow cooked Zanzibar beef with rice and vegetables is a tasty treat, but there’s often a queue.
The air is invariably filled with conversations framed in languages or accents from West and Central Africa with a healthy contribution from the voices of southern African countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania. The food pairs perfectly with the joy. At Cape Town’s Biscuit Mill Market, stalls present street food from Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Erritrea. They provide a window into the culture through classic African dishes – like Ghanaian Jollof.
Jollof is a delicious jambalaya-like rice dish, accompanied by some sort of protein and often a side of fried plantain. Arguments abound as to which West African state makes the best, but the Ghanaian version seems closest to many hearts (and bellies). The finest iteration in Cape Town comes from ‘Ghana Jollof’. Proprietor and cook Abena Danquah runs a stall at the Biscuit Mill and opened her city restaurant in December 2023.
The post-colonial and post-liberation period has seen growing internal migration across Africa. While Europe is familiar with the influx of refugees from economic and political struggles across the world, South Africa – one of the continent’s strongest economies – has seen a similar surge from north of its borders. While the pressure on infrastructure and services are obvious, there is a softer, more positive side to this flow of humanity.
Cape Town is now a city in which a visitor can enjoy cultural, and particularly culinary, experiences from the length and breadth of Africa. The globally renowned wines and restaurants of the Western Cape remain a massive drawcard, and the historical European, Malay and African influences in its national cuisine are a delight for any ‘foodie’. However, an immersive adventure of undiscovered people and flavours awaits in the city’s food markets.
Ghana Jollof also serves a traditional rice dish, called Waakiye, cooked with kidney beans and hibiscus for its rich red colour
Quizzed about her customers, Danquah says serves a lot of business travellers from Ghana and Nigeria, as well as expats living in the city. A growing proportion are curious locals – especially those who have visited Ghana – then there are the tourists who want to sample more authentic African flavours. For those inquisitive folk, there is a wealth of options available.
Often, African restaurants – especially those run by immigrants – suffer from a lack of access to funding. Their eateries tend to pop up on the run-down, fringes of working class suburb. With interest in the continent’s massively diverse and exciting cuisine seeing a sharp rise though, some are moving into the city where rentals are higher, but foot traffic better.
‘Ghana Jollof’ joins Ethiopian eateries like ‘Madam Taitou’ and ‘Addis’, Zimbabwean spot ‘Pahari’ and ‘KwaMai-Mutsa Afrodeli’ in providing a taste of Africa in Cape Town. There is space and foot traffic for more in the city at the continent’s southern tip.
A stall serving typical dishes from Tanzania is often the busiest stall at the market.
South African writer, photographer and editor Russel Wasserfall has worked in the media space for over 35 years. His work is mainly in the arenas of food and travel and has appeared in more than twenty books and dozens of magazines. Wasserfall has run bars and restaurants, including his award-winning South African restaurant The Table at De Meye, and consults to restaurant start-ups on innovative food concepts. He runs a weekly podcast on the restaurant and food scene in his Cape Town home called A Table in the Corner.
