Quick Guide to South African Spices and Seasonings

 South African cooking is spiced — layered, fragrant and warm rather than fire-hot. Knowing which spice does what, and where it came from, unlocks the whole tradition.

By K.B. Shivuri · The Seasoned HearthA kitchen reference guide

South African food has a reputation for being simple and meat-forward — and in some respects that is true. But the flavour behind our most beloved dishes is anything but simple. It is spiced, layered and often remarkably complex, built from a tradition that draws on Cape Malay, Indian, indigenous and Dutch culinary heritages that have been blending for more than three hundred years.

Understanding the spices behind South African cooking is the fastest way to understand South African cooking itself. Here is a reference guide to the spices and seasonings that matter most in our kitchen tradition: what they are, where they come from, and how to use them well.

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The Essential South African Spices

The Biltong Spice

Coriander Seed

If there is one spice that is more distinctly South African than any other, it is the coriander seed — whole, cracked or coarsely ground. It forms the backbone of the biltong cure alongside salt, vinegar and pepper, and its warm, slightly citrusy flavour is so associated with biltong that most South Africans recognise it the moment it hits the air. The Dutch settlers brought it to the Cape and it embedded itself so deeply in the food culture that it is now considered a native spice by most South African cooks.

Use in: biltong, droëwors, boerewors, sosaties, braai spice blends, koeksisters.

The Cape Malay Signature

Turmeric

Turmeric is the spice that turns South African cooking golden. It comes from the Cape Malay tradition, where it was part of the spice vocabulary brought by enslaved people from Southeast Asia and India. You will find it in bobotie, breyani, yellow rice, Cape Malay curries and chakalaka — often in combination with curry powder. It adds colour and a mild, slightly earthy warmth rather than heat, and it is one of the most commonly used ground spices in the South African kitchen.

Use in: bobotie, yellow rice, Cape Malay curry, chakalaka, breyani, pickled fish.

The Braai Essential

Braai Spice (Barbecue Spice)

Braai spice is a South African blend rather than a single spice — typically built on salt, black pepper, coriander, paprika, garlic powder and dried herbs like thyme and rosemary, though every brand and every household has its own version. It is the seasoning rubbed onto meat before it goes on the grid, and its smell rising from a hot braai is one of the most recognisable aromas in South African outdoor cooking. Making your own braai spice from whole spices is straightforward, significantly cheaper than branded versions and almost always better in quality.

Use in: all braai meats, roasted chicken, lamb chops, boerewors, potjiekos.

The Curry Backbone

Curry Powder and Masala

South Africa has its own curry powder tradition shaped by the Indian community of KwaZulu-Natal, and the blends used in South African cooking differ subtly but meaningfully from those used in India. South African curry powders tend to be more robustly spiced and slightly hotter than mild Indian blends. "Masala" in the South African context refers to a spiced blend used specifically in Durban-style cooking — often including fenugreek, curry leaves and dried chilli at higher levels than a standard curry powder. Both are available in mild, medium and hot versions.

Use in: Durban curry, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, chakalaka, sosaties, breyani.

The Cape Malay Aromatics

Whole Spices: Cardamom, Cinnamon and Cloves

These three whole spices arrived at the Cape with the enslaved people brought from the spice trade world of the Indian Ocean, and they remain the signature aromatics of Cape Malay cooking. Cardamom adds a floral, slightly minty warmth; cinnamon brings sweetness and depth; cloves are intensely aromatic and should be used with restraint. In South African cooking they are almost always used whole — dropped into the hot oil at the start of a curry or breyani — rather than ground, which gives a more subtle, infused fragrance than ground spice would.

Use in: breyani, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, yellow rice, koeksister syrup.

The Pickle Spice

Mustard Seed

Mustard seed — yellow and brown — appears in South African cooking mainly in pickled and preserved foods. Pickled fish, a Cape Malay Easter tradition, uses mustard seed alongside turmeric and vinegar. Atchar (achaar), the South African mango pickle served alongside curries and breyani, is built around mustard seed and fenugreek. It is less visible in everyday cooking than some of the other spices here, but its presence in preserved and pickled traditions is significant and distinctive.

Use in: pickled fish, atchar, cape curry with a pickle note, homemade preserves.

The Heat Provider

Dried Chilli and Peri-Peri

South Africa's chilli tradition draws from multiple sources — the Indian community brought their love of heat, the Portuguese influence through Mozambique introduced peri-peri (the African bird's eye chilli), and indigenous communities have always used wild chillies where available. Dried chilli flakes and ground chilli add background heat to curries and chakalaka; peri-peri sauce and whole dried peri-peri chillies are used in chicken marinades, braai basting sauces and as a condiment. South African cooking is warm-spiced rather than punishingly hot, but heat is always present as an option.

Use in: peri-peri chicken, Durban curry, chakalaka (hot version), braai basting sauce.

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The South African Spice Pantry: What to Stock

Whole Spices to Keep

• Coriander seedsbiltong, boerewors, blends
• Cardamom podsbreyani, Cape Malay curry
• Cinnamon sticksbreyani, yellow rice, koeksister syrup
• Clovesbreyani, Cape Malay curry
• Mustard seedspickled fish, atchar
• Black peppercornsbiltong, all-round seasoning
• Dried peri-peri chilliesperi-peri marinade, heat

Ground Spices to Keep

• Turmericcolour and warmth in nearly everything
• Medium curry powdereveryday curries, chakalaka, bobotie
• Hot masalaDurban-style dishes, for added heat
• Garam masalafinishing spice for curries, breyani
• Ground cumincurries, chakalaka, spice blends
• Ground coriandercurries, sosaties
• Paprika (sweet and smoked)braai spice, chicken rubs
• Dried chilli flakesheat in curries and relishes

The Seasoned Hearth tip — buy whole spices and grind as neededGround spices lose their potency within months of being ground. If you are buying coriander, cumin or cardamom, buy the whole seed and grind small quantities as you need them in a mortar and pestle or a small spice grinder. The difference in fragrance and flavour compared to a jar of pre-ground spice that has been sitting on a shelf is remarkable. Your biltong, your curries and your braai spice will all improve immediately.

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Homemade Braai Spice — A Starting Point

This is the base blend — adjust the paprika, pepper and chilli to your own preference:

• 3 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely ground
• 1 tbsp black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Mix together, store in a sealed jar, and use within 3 months for best flavour. Makes enough for several braais.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What spices are most important in South African cooking?

Coriander seed, turmeric and curry powder are the most widely used. Coriander defines the biltong and boerewors tradition; turmeric is the signature of Cape Malay cooking; curry powder underpins everything from chakalaka to bobotie. Whole spices — cardamom, cinnamon, cloves — appear in the more complex layered dishes like breyani.

Is South African food very spicy (hot)?

South African food is well-spiced — fragrant, layered and warm — but not typically very hot by default. The Durban curry tradition is the most robustly hot of our main culinary streams. Most everyday dishes are made at a medium heat level and can easily be adjusted up or down by varying the amount of chilli or using a hotter or milder curry powder.

What is the difference between curry powder and masala?

In the South African context, curry powder is a general-purpose spice blend used across many dishes; masala typically refers to a Durban-style blend with a more specific spice profile — often including fenugreek, curry leaves and a higher chilli level — used in KwaZulu-Natal-style cooking. Both are blends of multiple spices, but masala in South African usage has that specific Durban association.

Stock the Spice Shelf Well

A South African kitchen with a well-stocked spice shelf can make almost anything in the tradition. Buy whole, grind small amounts as needed, and keep the jars sealed and away from heat. The investment is modest and the difference to your cooking is immediate.

— K.B. Shivuri, The Seasoned Hearth