Namibia Food Guide

Rice is the staple food of the Namibians supplemented by fish, game and forest produce or vegetables. Most of the tribesmen continue to hunt and a variety of animal meat and fish is served on the tables in Namibian households and restaurants. Happily for an African country, standards of hygiene are very high and cleanliness is a virtue found in restaurants without hunting far and wide. Most of the restaurants are modern, clean and serve mostly foreign cuisines – only a few will serve African, especially Namibian food. German, French, Austrian, Swiss, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Taiwanese and Chinese dishes are common to menus in most restaurants. Seafood, game meats like venison, wild boar, ostrich, zebra, crocodile steaks and beef and mutton are readily available, cooked in European/Asian styles rather than in keeping with African culinary traditions. Some of the distinctly Namibian items served in a few places are dishes using the game meat in season with Kalahari truffles or amajowa mushrooms

From the Germans and Afrikaaners comes the European method of smoking meat and Rauchfleisch, smoked game served with melons is the Namibian version of Parma ham and melon. Restaurants in the coastal areas like Swakopmund feature grilled or poached steenbras and kabeljou caught in the off shore waters as well as shark meat, lobster and oysters.

Namibian beers and South African wines are regular favorites with most patrons of bars and pubs in Namibia. Spirits, liqueurs and wines are imported from South Africa and Germany and Scotch whisky and other alcohol from different countries ensuring a plentitude of good drinks.