Mitchells Plain - Home Hosted Dining Experience

One of the areas that was birthed from the segregation enforced by Apartheid Mitchells Plain is Home to a large “Cape Coloured” community. They are people of mixed heritage and make up a substantial portion of the population of Cape Town. With their mixed heritage comes a vibrant, multifaceted culture, drawing from African, Indian, Afrikaans, and Muslim traditions, the “Cape Coloureds” are the true representation of the Cape. As the Mitchells Plain is mostly made up of low income households, people there have to rely on one another to ensure a cohesive and thriving community. So visitors can expect to see plenty of community centres, churches and mosques, where various social programs are undertaken to help the area develop. These programs are often led by strong women in the community and you will find that they have a great respect for people who look to help build up others. Homes here are often small to medium and are sometimes located closer to the more industrial areas where many of the residents work. It is a true representation of working class South Africa and you will not find better insight into what it means to be a hard working South African than here.

The food is as diverse and innovative as the residents are, with dishes that draw from many cultures. A local favourite fish, snoek, is prepared on an open flame and accompanied by various vegetables. They are also known for their sweet snacks, as a homemade koeksisters which are spiraled pieces of deep fried dough glazed in a syrup and sometimes accompanied by some custard.

The people of Mitchells Plain are fun loving and always have a joke or two ready. Visitors will feel instantly welcomed and it won’t be long before you’re starting to feel like part of the community. This experience is a great opportunity to engage with the people that make the wheels of Cape Town turn and show you what life is like for blue collar South Africans.

These are some of the typical dishes and foods you can expect to enjoy in Mitchells Plain:

• Gatsby - The dish is similar to a deli sandwich, very long rolls are cut open lengthwise and stuffed, normally with hot chips (French fries) but a variety of additional fillings can also be used like polony, steak, cheese and even egg.

• Bunny Chow - A hollowed out half loaf of bread stuffed with curry, enjoyed for lunch or dinner. Your curry could include anything from chicken to meat or mince.

• Vetkoek - a traditional Afrikaner fried dough bread. It is either served filled with cooked mince or with syrup, honey, or jam.

• Dry fish – Cleaned fish that has been dried out.

• Pickled fish – Fried fish with lots of onions and sauce usually eaten with hot cross buns at Easter time.

• Braai bread – Made with onion and tomato, sometimes with cheese as well, grilled over the fire like a braai/barbecue.

• Cauliflower bredie – Mutton or lamb pieces cooked with fresh cauliflower, served with white rice.

• Snoek – Braai’ed/barbecued in apricot jam.

• Tomato bredie – Meat cooked in tomato paste, served with white rice.

• Ouma-onder-die-kombersie – Mince balls wrapped in cabbage in a brown stew, with some chutney.

• Smoortjie – Viennas or polony fried in onions and tomato with some spices and sauce.

• Peppermint fridge tart – A mix of biscuit, caramel, cream and peppermint chocolate layered on one another in a bowl.

• Mulva Pudding - a sweet spongy apricot pudding of Dutch origin. This wintertime treat contains apricot jam and has a spongy caramelised texture. A cream sauce is then poured over the dish while it is hot. It is best served hot with custard and/or ice-cream.

• Melktart - Also known as milk tart - is a milk-based tart or dessert. Melktert is a favourite amongst South Africans, especially during tea time. It consists of a sweet pastry crust containing a creamy filling, which is made of milk, flour, sugar and eggs.

• Koeksisters – There are two types of koeksisters, the traditional ones are the twiste pastries, deep fried and sweetened. Then there are the Cape Malay koesisters that are round, fried and sweetened with coconut shavings over them.

• Hertzoggies – A flower shaped biscuit with half jam and the other half coconut.

• Sago pudding – A mixture of sago, egg, milk, sugar vanilla essence and cinnamon baked in the oven.

• Trifle – A mix of jelly, custard, sponge cake and peaches layered on top of each other with cream at the top.