Nestled on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre of Cape Town the Bo Kaap is famous for its vibrant colourful houses, spice-filled cuisine and rich culture. It’s one of South Africa’s oldest and most iconic neighbourhoods and a must-visit for history buffs, culture seekers and food lovers alike.
We were picked up on a sunny Tuesday morning by our local tour guide Brad, who turned out to be as colourful as the rainbow hued houses of the Bo Kaap, he was also a font of knowledge giving us a fascinating insight to the origins of the Cape Malay community, their enduring culture and rich history.
Dating back to the 1760’s the Bo Kaap was formerly known as the Cape Malay Quarter where Dutch colonists built and leased ‘huurhuisjes’, (rental houses) to freed slaves who were brought from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and East Africa to work in the Cape. These people were known as Cape Malays and the diversity of this ethnic influx merged into what became known as the Cape Malay culture, with its own unique traditions, food, and religious practices.
By walking its quaint cobbled streets we got the opportunity to marvel at the Bo Kaap’s charming Cape Dutch and Georgian homes in vivid and visually stunning shades of turquoise, pink, orange, green and yellow, while engaging with the locals and stopping to savour traditional Cape Malay cooking.
As a living museum of culture and history a walking tour of the Bo Kaap is the best way to soak up the many delights of Cape Malay culture in South Africa where the postcard-perfect Liquorice Allsorts streetscapes are some of the most photographed in the world. Originally painted white, the homes were painted in bright colours as the ultimate declaration of independence. Under Dutch colonial rule, the Cape Malay people were forbidden from expressing their cultural identity which included how they dressed or decorated their homes. When residents could finally purchase their homes after the end of Apartheid every colourful stroke of paint became a symbol of pride, ownership, and hope.
While the colourful houses are the ultimate showstopper, discovering the Bo Kaap on foot also gives you an overview of Bo-Kaap’s many historical landmarks, such as the Auwal Mosque which was commissioned by an Indonesian prince and built in 1794. It’s the first mosque ever built in South Africa and is thought to be the spot where the first Imam wrote several copies of the holy Quran completely from memory. Located in a house dating back to the 1760s, the Bo Kaap museum is another fascinating landmark filled with interesting exhibits making it a great place to learn about the history of Cape Malay people, their traditions, and daily life.
There are also a couple of small, independent art galleries around Bo Kaap to wander around showcasing a number of captivating pieces and if you are looking for the perfect keepsake to remind you of your visit, there are some charming souvenir shops brimming with everything from hand-painted ceramics and textiles to unique crafts and collectibles that reflect the colourful history, diverse traditions, and artistic excellence that define BoKaap.
We started and ended our tour at Faeeza’s Home Kitchen. There are many restaurants in Cape Town offering Cape Malay cuisine, but nothing beats Faeeza’s Home Kitchen. There are no frills and fuss here, just unpretentious, authentic and delicious traditional Cape Malay cooking, served out of Faeeza’s home on the corner of a charming courtyard in the heart of the Bo Kaap.
Brad explained that Cape Malay cuisine is a unique blend of Asian, African, and European influences and introduced us to a trio of Cape Malay delicacies, the koesister, daltjie (chilli bite) and samoosa.
A koesister is a delightful, deep-fried dumpling-like dessert, made with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and aniseed, coated in syrup and then coated in coconut, while the daltjie (chilli bite) is a savoury snack made from chickpea flour and a mixture of spinach, onion and spices. Crispy on the outside and soft inside they are often enjoyed during Ramadan. With a triangular crispy pastry shell the Cape Malay samoosa is a beloved street snack which has Indonesian and Indian influences, often filled with spiced minced meat, potatoes, or vegetables.
Once we had finished our tour of the Bo Kaap we had worked up quite an appetite and returned once again to Faeeza’s Home Kitchen where we settled in for a mouthwatering lunch of Bobotie (curried meatloaf baked with an egg topping) served with yellow rice, mixed vegetables and beetroot pickle and a traditional Cape Malay chicken curry served with roti, rice and sambal (tomato, onion and coriander salad).
The food was as good as it sounds and certainly tantalised our tastebuds in an area where food plays a huge role in the life of the Cape Malay community reflecting its vibrant and colourful culture.
For just R800 per person, Faeeza also offers fully interactive Cape Malay cooking classes where you get to learn the art of rolling rotis, frying chilli bites, cooking curry and wrapping samoosas. The cooking class ends with an intimate lunch at Faeeza’s dining table. A typical class last 2,5hrs which includes the meal and desert.
Once you have your souvenirs, do pop into the Atlas Trading Company before you leave. Offering heady aromas and a treasure trove of spices it’s Cape town’s oldest spice store and has been around since 1946. It’s impossible not to be inspired by the flavours of the Bo Kaap so it’s the perfect place to pick up everything you need to recreate the perfect Cape Malay dish.
Our tour of the Bo Kaap was a real feast for the senses, and thanks to our amazing tour guide Brad, we left with a feeling of awe and appreciation for the rich Cape Malay culture. We also left with a rather large box of koesisters and bollos (Malay doughnuts) which were freshly prepared and bought from a local resident’s home!
If you like the sound of a local-led walking tour showcasing the colourful tapestry of the Bo Kaap’s history, culture and cuisine, get in touch with Ash at Best of South Africa travel at UK 01233 80 27 27 or visit our website www.bestofsouthafricatravel.co.uk
Four amazing holidays in one
Best of South Africa Travel put together the most phenomenal trip for our family with minimal input from ourselves. Work and family commitments meant we trusted our holiday planning entirely to Ash and she did us proud. Ash put together a fantastic Garden Route itinerary for our family of four combining a great Safari, Plettenburg Bay activities, Winelands and then …
