One of my favourite parts of traveling is falling in love with new products that we don’t have at home. Then we either bring them home or, if we are lucky, find places that sell them here.
Today I have some uniquely South African products that are available here in Ontario, so we can all have a little taste of African goodness at home.
- Company began in 1908 as South African Dried Fruit
- Many different flavours: guava, peach, apricot, pear, prune
- High in fibre, low in fat
- Renowned for top quality fruit
- Exported to 35 countries
- Started the Dried Fruit Alliance to promote the health benefits of dried fruit worldwide
- South African favourite made of fruit and spices
- Family is originally from Canada
- Amelia Adams met a Chef from India during 1860 crossing and asked for his peach chutney recipe
- Ship went down but she survived and started making the recipe
- Passed down to her daughter who married Mr. Herbert S Balls and started making it out of her kitchen in Cape Town before becoming a big operation
- Huge favourite within decades and now exported around the world
- As of April 2022, Canada is one of the top ten countries for veganism
- New plant-based coconut milk based which is innovative in the cream-based liquor category
- Has classic caramel, vanilla, creamy coconut milk (nut free)
- Made from SA marula fruit and exported to over 100 countries (elephants love marula fruit)
- Amarula is also making environment and socially responsible changes: protection of elephants, Handwork Hub (enables a safe and sustainable working environment for women who handmake every tassel on the bottle)
- Mother of 4 who wanted to start cooking classes in her home in 1982 but no one wanted to pay for cooking class
- Picked up in a decade and went into business with her son (in Cape Town)
- She started self-publishing cookbooks within a decade
- Wanted to make cooking quick and easy without sacrificing flavour, nutrition, and quality
- Natural ingredients, no msg, no added sugar, natural colouring
- Recipes online
Something South African Cooking Sauces
- Founded in 1994 to create true South African flavours (Indian, Asian, Dutch spices)
- Create stews with spicy aromas of traditional chakalaka (onions, tomatoes, and beans from Jo-Burg) or curry from tropical Kwazulu-Natal (Eastern Coastal South Africa) or Cape Town.
- Suitable for vegans, free from arrticial flavours and colours, MSG, or preservatives
- Created jobs for over 700 skilled women in the Cape Town area