Put your best dish forward
A Proudly South African Heritage Day Potluck Menu
When it comes to food and togetherness, South Africans don’t need much convincing. Throw in Heritage Day, a table, and an excuse to swap recipes, and you’ve got the makings of an unforgettable potluck. We have a rich foody heritage and not only do we boast some of the best restaurants in the world, but our chefs, cheese, wine and beef are also world renowned. (Not to mention our export fruits and veggies!)
With all these ingredients available to us, it’s a no-brainer that most South Africans whole heartedly embrace fusion cooking…However. Sometimes something is a classic for a reason. Lets go back to our roots this Heritage Day and serve up some old fashioned fare, fusion free.
The Heart-Warmer: Beef Potjiekos with Dumplings
Few dishes shout “South African” louder than a potjiekos bubbling away over an open flame. Its magic lies in the slow layering of flavours—beef cubes browned until caramelised, onions, carrots, potatoes, a splash of red wine, and hearty stock. Season generously with garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of allspice.
But here’s the nostalgic kicker: Fluffy dumplings.
Mix flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, a dash of parsley, and enough milk to form a sticky dough. Drop spoonful’s on top of the simmering potjie for the last 30 minutes, lid on, and watch them puff up like golden clouds. Nothing says comfort quite like breaking open a dumpling soaked in rich beef gravy.
The Spice Showstopper: Chicken Biryani
South Africa’s Indian heritage shines at the potluck table with a fragrant chicken biryani. Unlike the Western tendency to serve small cuts of chicken, here we proudly throw in whole portions: drumsticks, thighs, breasts—all nestled into layers of basmati rice, saffron-infused milk, and spiced potatoes.
Biryani is often compared to Spain’s paella, and the similarity is striking. Both are saffron infused one-pot wonders, both bring families together around the table, and both are fiercely guarded cultural treasures. But while paella sings of saffron, seafood, and the Mediterranean sun, Biryani is a love letter to spice: cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, coriander, and a generous handful of fried onions for sweetness.
Leave the extra and unnecessary fluff and make a real, Indian-aunty approved Biryani as your potluck showstopper.
We love this recipe by local foodie powerhouse Tamarind and Thyme
A traditional Biryani is a dish that demands patience and rewards you with flavour fireworks.
The Quirky Classic: Potato Salad with Eggs and Condensed Milk
Every family has that one potato salad recipe passed down through generations. This one is a true South African classic: boiled potatoes, slices of hard-boiled egg fanned over the top, and the slightly unexpected—but utterly nostalgic—dressing made with mayonnaise and a drizzle of condensed milk.
It’s sweet, tangy, and creamy in a way that shouldn’t work, but somehow does. If you grew up in South Africa, chances are you’ve seen this dish at a braai or Sunday lunch. It’s not fancy, but that’s exactly why it belongs at a potluck—it brings everyone back to childhood kitchens and family gatherings.
Don’t go zhooshing it up with fancy red onions or low fat yogurt herb dressings…This is mayo, egg, sweetened condensed milk and MAYBE some 70’s curly leafed parsley if you are feeling fancy…
Sweet Endings: Four Dessert Legends
Malva Poeding: Warm, spongy, and drenched in a buttery caramelised sauce, malva is best served straight from the oven with a dollop of custard. Its Cape Dutch roots give it heritage status, but its sticky sweetness makes it universally adored.
Melktert: This cinnamon-dusted custard tart is the matriarch of South African desserts—light, comforting, and always welcome. It’s the dish that reminds us of grannies in floral aprons.
Peppermint Crisp Tart: The “no-bake miracle.” Layers of Tennis biscuits, caramel treat, whipped cream, and shards of Peppermint Crisp chocolate. It’s 70% sugar, 30% nostalgia, and 100% guaranteed to vanish first at a potluck.
Springbokkie Shooter: Dessert doesn’t always need a spoon. A layered shot of creamy Amarula and vivid green peppermint liqueur, this cheeky nod to the national rugby team gets everyone grinning—and probably chanting, “Bokke!”
After-Dinner Drinks: Creamy and Strong
Amarula Dom Pedro: Think of it as South Africa’s answer to a boozy milkshake. Vanilla ice cream, a splash of cream, and a generous pour of Amarula blended into velvety bliss.
Railway Coffee: Strong black coffee sweetened not with sugar and milk, but with a hearty dollop of condensed milk stirred in. It’s simple, rustic, and has kept generations of railway workers (and students) fuelled through long nights.
Ditch the guilt and the diets this Heritage Day
Theres a healthy alternative to every other holiday – we’ve even replaced the chocolate of our advent calendars with Lego or Lipstick…We are braaiing veggie sosaties and making sarmies with rye bread. We even have fat free droëwors! (An abomination if you ask us)
Our ancestors got so many things wrong socially and politically…But when it comes to cooking those ooms, aunties and gogo’s knew what they were doing. Go FULL-OUT nostalgic this Heritage Day and add condensed milk to everything! Your diet can start on the 25th…
When the plates are cleared and only the laughter lingers, one truth shines through:
Humans are pack animals. We thrive in groups, around fires, at tables heavy with food. Whether you call it vetkoek or amagwinya, whether your grandmother’s curry smells of Durban spices or your Sunday roast echoes the Karoo, deep down we are all telling the same story—a story of togetherness, survival, and shared joy.
South Africa, with its complicated past and colourful present, needs these potluck tables. They remind us that despite our differences, we all hunger for the same things: belonging, community, and hope. And maybe, just maybe, if we can share our food, we can share our future.
So this Heritage Day, raise a glass, pass the biryani, scoop an extra helping of malva, and remember—we’re stronger when we eat together.
