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Multi-culturally mouthwatering
Mpumalanga food terroir
Chefs at Mrs Simpson, Dullstroom
Did you know?
African beer exists in two classic forms mageu (only mildly fermented) and full strength intoxicating umqombothi/ ithlodwa.
The food terroir of Mpumalanga is deliciously diverse. Mpumalanga, ‘the place of the rising sun’, offers travellers an encyclopaedic epicurean range of landscapes and climates.
The essence of Mpumalanga food is seasonal plenty. From the highlands of Dullstroom comes brown and rainbow trout, fragrant melons from Bronkhorstspuit, table grapes, granadillas (passion fruit), and citrus from Groblersdal and Loskop. Around Nelspruit, taste Mpumalanga's food terroir in orchards full of mangos, avocados, oranges, pecan nuts, macadamia nuts, bananas, and papayas.
If it’s game, not fish or fruit, that you want to hunt, from May to August, in the Lowveld, carnivorous opportunities abound to eat venison in local restaurant and game lodges.
If you are partial to alcoholic refreshment, a range of deliciously different beverages can be found in Mpumalanga, notably orange wine and served at the tasting room of Rottcher Wineries, at Casterbridge Centre in White River.span>
To experience the essence of Mpumalanga food, do try to be around to witness the crowning of Miss Potato at the Bethal Potato Festival in late April. Similarly Nelspruit’s Avocado Festival in May is a gourmet bash of note. Dullstroom’s Peach Queen probably has the easiest royal portfolio in the province.
No tour of Mpumalanga's food terroir would be complete without an exploration of Ndebele cuisine. Try umratha porridge, sample traditional cow heel soup laden with butter beans, and sink your teeth into a local variation of the Afrikaner vetkoek fritter which the Ndebele have reinterpreted as amafekuku.
Whatever tastes you try in Mpumalanga, do make sure that you sip some marula beer – but not too much, it might taste like lemonade but it's powerfully intoxicating.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
MpumalangaTourism and Parks Agency
Tel : +27 (0)13 759 5300/01
Fax : +27 (0)13 755 3928
Email: info@mtpa.co.za
Rottcher Winery
Casterbridge Centre
White River
Tel: +27 (0)12 751 3472
How to get here
SA Airlink flies from Johannesburg and Cape Town to KMI Airport. Greyhound Translux long distance coaches offer daily services to and from Johannesburg. The N4, N11, and R40 link every significant destination in the province.
Around the area
Dullstroom and Hazyview have famous pancake houses. White River and Nelspruit have a wide selection of restuarants to choose from. Milly's Trout Farm outside Machadodorp is a well-stocked deli with produce from across the province.
Tours to do
Samp and Soufflé Tours offer a venison-cooking course at Gwala Gwala Lodge in the Mpumlanga Lowveld.
Get around
A hire car is recommended. The roads and key tourist attractions are well marked. Alternatively, hire a local guide, or tour operator in one of the major centres to take you around.
What will it cost
The price of a meal in Mpumalanga varies from venue to venue. A 3-course fine dining meal will cost +/-€45 p/head, including wine.
What to pack
Carry bottled water and wear sun protection in summer.
Where to stay
Accommodation options include boutique hotels, game lodges, B&Bs, backpackers lodges and self-catering cottages.
What's happening
Bethal Potato Festival in April. The Nelspruit Avocado Festival is mid-May.
Best buys
Trout products, nuts, fresh and dried fruit, biltong, venison, orange wine and liqueur.