Evaluation of Southern African Countries from a Gastronomic Perspective

Abstract

It was only in the nineteenth century that the African continent, with its fertile land and human resources as labor force, managed to attract the attention of the world. The political, financial or sociological interventions of European countries such as France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, especially England, laid the foundations of the world we live in today. The aim of this study is to examine all aspects of the gastronomic culture of the South African region and to analyze its agricultural, geographical and cultural characteristics. The African continent today consists of five regions, namely West Africa, East Africa, North Africa, South Africa and Central Africa. There are a total of 54 countries in these regions with a total population of billions. Thousands of ethnic communities live in Africa and there are cultural differences between these communities. The main reason for these differences is the lack of communication in the past. The gastronomic culture of these societies has been influenced by agriculture, economy and the policies implemented by countries. The people of the countries located on fertile lands have had to cope with problems such as wars, nature, famine and thirst. In this study, the differences in the gastronomic culture of the countries in the Southern Africa region, gastronomic values, culinary rituals and cultures, and the place and importance of the ingredients used were discussed and the culture of the region in the field of gastronomy was evaluated. As a method, a literature review was conducted and causal comparison method was used.