A palette of food from the Rainbow Nation

Soccer or football, cricket and rugby are the three national sports of South Africa, and all have reached various levels of success and rankings since our international readmission in 1992 to the first eventual Cricket World Cup. Rugby and cricket have excelled in the past few years with the SA cricket team under the leadership of Graeme Smith, reaching the top of the ICC rankings in both Tests and ODI's. The Springbok rugby team are the current world champions.

I am certain that the success of both these sports is due, in a small way, to the often intimidating physical presence that the SA team players possess, due to their size and strength. Nutrition and training are key ingredients to an international sportsman's success, but I am sure that us South Africans have a slight advantage over other countries, because we LOVE our food, and we seem to produce some BIG sportsmen and women!

We are a nation of predominantly meat-lovers, and due to the large percentage of land under agriculture, we are in the fortunate position that we have affordable access to various types of meat, of the red and white varieties, and having a long coastline, we also have a steady supply of fresh fish to satisfy our appetite.

We are also able to satisfy the demand for vegetables and produce some of the finest fresh vegetables and fruits. With this access to fresh ingredients, it is no wonder us South Africans love our food!

We, as in India, have certain dishes and flavours particular to various regions of the country. You would find a unanimous answer to the question of what is a "traditional" South African meal the 'braai'. Australians and UK residents will claim to also enjoy a "barbeque", but these are gas-fuelled affairs, over in a couple of minutes, while we South Africans use wood charcoal to fire up our meals! This allows us to socialise around the braai as the coal burns to a low cinder, but for this, you need a moderate climate, which the English certainly can't claim to have!

Eating out in South Africa, you are spoilt for choice, due to the many different cultures that make up the Rainbow Nation, and they all bring their unique flavours and dishes to the fore.

What's also really nice now is that Indian food is so loved in South Africa, that it's very easy to find a good Indian restaurant wherever you may be visiting. In fact, whenever the Indian fellas are touring South Africa, they always make it a point to dig into the finger-licking Indian food at one of the nearby restaurants. I remember having many a delicious dal and rice in Jozi, and in fact, even a masala dosa on Long Street in Cape Town!!

We also have many kinds of fruit to eat, but the grape has a dual purpose in South Africa. We are blessed with ideal wine-making conditions in various parts of South Africa, and we have 10 different areas that produce wines that are uniquely flavoured, being affected by the type of soil that the vineyard has been planted in. It's particularly nice to hop from one wine farm to another on a lazy Sunday along the Cape Wine Route, tasting wines from many different estates. It's popular with locals and tourists alike. My wife and I enjoy sharing a glass of wine in the evening over dinner, and the only problem is that there are so many good wines to choose from and the 10 Chapters is one of our personal favourites!

This is the third in an exciting series by former cricketer and Mumbai Indian's fielding coach Jonty Rhodes that showcases his native South Africa through his eyes

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