Spices of Cape Town and the Bo-Kaap
A port on the Cape of Good Hope, where Cape Malay cooking, with its sweet and fragrant curries, grew from the Dutch spice trade.
Traded and grown here
Best time: October to April.
Cape Town was founded in 1652 as a supply station for the Dutch East India Company. Enslaved people, political exiles and servants from the Indonesian archipelago, India and Africa were brought to the Cape, and their descendants are known as the Cape Malay community, based in the Bo-Kaap.
Spices and trade
Cape Malay food uses cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, coriander, fennel, dried fruit and chilli, in dishes such as bobotie, bredie, sosaties and samoosas. Masala mixes are sold in local shops.
The place and its people
Bo-Kaap's brightly painted houses sit on Signal Hill. Eid and the Tuan Guru traditions are central to the community's life.
Visiting
Bo-Kaap Museum and cooking classes show the cuisine. Atlas Trading Company, in the area, has long sold spices.
A trail idea for Cape Town and the Bo-Kaap
- Bo-Kaap Walk the painted streets.
- A spice shop Buy masala mixes.
- A cooking class Make bobotie.
- Company's Garden Visit the old Dutch garden.
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Bo-Kaap" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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