Cape Town's most important culinary tradition: a fragrant curry from the enslaved Cape Malay community brought to the Cape Colony in 1658. The Bo-Kaap neighbourhood is its home.
About Cape Malay Curry
Cape Town's most important culinary tradition — a fragrant, relatively mild curry of chicken or lamb with onion, tomato, dried apricot and warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, turmeric) reflecting the cooking of the enslaved Cape Malay community brought to the Cape Colony from 1658 onwards; served with roti, sambals and atjar (pickled vegetables); the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood is its spiritual home.
A fragrant, relatively mild curry of chicken or lamb with onion, tomato, dried apricot and warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, turmeric) reflecting the cooking of the enslaved Cape Malay community brought to the Cape Colony from 1658 onwards. Served with roti, sambals and atjar (pickled vegetables). The Bo-Kaap neighbourhood in Cape Town is its spiritual home.
“Served with roti, sambals and atjar (pickled vegetables).”
Dried apricot in a savoury curry is the Cape Malay signature — the sweet-fruit element is not background sweetness but a structural flavour component.
What to Expect
The Cape Malay curry arrives fragrant and golden, the dried apricot visible in the sauce. The heat is mild and the sweetness present. Roti is served alongside for scooping.
Why Try It
Cape Malay curry is the clearest evidence of how the enslaved community's cooking tradition became inseparable from South Africa's food identity.
Insider Tips
- Biesmiellah restaurant in Bo-Kaap is the neighbourhood's most historic address.
- The dried apricot is structural — don't pick it out.
- Atjar (pickled mixed vegetable) alongside cuts the sweetness of the curry.
