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KOTA/BUNNY CHOW
The kota (derived from the word "quarter") is a quarter-loaf of bread, hollowed out and stuffed with anything and everything. From french fries, polony (similar to baloney), russian (similar to a sausage),cheese, atchar,etc. It is popular in townships around Johannesburg. It bears resemblance to the Durban bunny chow-also a half or uarter loaf of hollowed bread but filled with hot and spicy meat or vegetable curry-thought to have originated with the Indian-descended communities in and around Durban
Try the famous Kota, served with a side of atchar at Nkukhu Box , in Orlando East in Soweto -
BRAAI MEAT AND PAP WITH CHAKALAKA
The Voortrekkers (Afrikaans for “pioneers”) were disgruntled Afrikaner farmers, also known as Boers, descended from the original settlers working for the Dutch East India Company. They migrated east from the then-British occupied Cape Colony. To survive, the nomad farmers had to hunt, shoot, and roast meat on open fires in the open air, and so the culture of braaing (derived from the Dutch word for roast, “braden”) was born. Today, standing around a fire and preparing grilled meat is a unifying part of Johannesburg culture, enjoyed by people across different ethnic backgrounds. When you invite friends over for beers, braaing meat is almost inevitable. Braai is the South African equivalent of a barbeque. Where pap is the staple for any dinner or braai in Johannesburg, chakalaka is the mandatory side dish
There are numerous braai meat spots in town, but people's favourite is The Busy Corner in Thembisa, formally known as Imbizo Shisanyama -
BILTONG
Long before iceboxes and refrigerators were invented, the Khoisan and Bantu people of South africa were curing and preserving game meat. It was common practice to eat the more perishable meat organs such as liver and kidney first, and then cure, dry, and cut the bigger cuts of meat to be enjoyed later. The Voortrekker adopted some of these practices and incorporated the spices they got from the Javanese. Today this delicacy is called biltong, and as an intrinsic part of South African culture, is found everywhere from gas stations to upscale restaurants. You can get it in sticks, cubes, thin slices, or strips, with fat or no fat.
My favourite source is the biltong old-style grocery supermarket in Illovo, called Thrups Food and Groceries. But many brands have biltong kiosks in shopping malls all over Johannesburg. -
SKOPAS POPCORN
Skopas is a Johannesburg brand of puffed corn sold all over the city streets: taxi ranks, spaza shops, and vendor stalls. Much like the bright lights of the city of gold, the outward appearance of this bright, candy-colored snack deceives. One might expect it to taste like sugary sweet frosted-cereal pops, but it tastes more like stale, unseasoned popcorn. Still, Di Skopas, also known as di Kip Kip, are a popular “poor man’s snack,” keeping hustlers, mamas carrying babies on their backs, and commuting schoolchildren satiated at only one or two rands per pack. No one knows where they come from or how they came to be a central part of Jo’burg street culture, but the corn is usually procured from Indian or Chinese wholesale warehouses, where they come packed in clear plastic bags
It's not hard to find them at the stalls in taxi ranks or walking down the Johannesburg CBD streets. Alternatively, get them at the source at Jumbo Cash and Carry in Crown Mines.