Diners are spoilt for choice as curated food experiences, elevated kasi street cuisine and bold global flavour fusions reshape SA’s dining scene, alongside a growing appetite for indigenous and sustainable ingredients such as sorghum and millet.
According to the Future Menus 2025 food trends report, these shifts are signalling a new era of dining that is innovative, accessible and deeply rooted in local heritage.
Leading the conversation is Pinky Linah Maruping, 54, culinary experience chef adviser at Unilever Food Solutions.
“South Africans are people who welcome people and tourists who want to see and taste who we are. Along with this, there is an evolution in the hospitality industry where the relationship with the customer is coupled with the balancing of creativity and practicality,” says Maruping.
“We have zoned in on four emerging dining trends; mainly street food couture, diner design, borderless cuisine and culinary roots.
“Culinary roots celebrate heritage and sustainable produce, whereas diner design is the offering for diners with an adventurous palette and who like to try new things. Borderless cuisine and street food culture expresses the melting pot of flavours of who we are, with classics such as ikota and fusing two different cuisines and making it one dish, for example, in Mexican tacos fillings where they would have coleslaw, we can replace it with chakalaka relish.”
Maruping has built a trailblazing culinary legacy, including holding numerous notable titles such as becoming the first black woman to serve as vice president and communications director of the SA Chefs Association between 2021 and 2023.
Maruping desires to inspire a new generation of diners eager to redefine SA cuisine through authentic storytelling that honours heritage, tradition and local flavour.
“Going forward, we need to put our indigenous crops front and centre as well as learn about the foods we eat and consciously choose produce that is sustainable, indigenous to our climate and water supply,” she says
“When we eat them, there is a nostalgic feeling about having a plate that has been designed to provide a deeper sense of authenticity and local connection to our land, the ground.”
Raised in Tembisa, after high school she graduated from the Johannesburg University of Technology Hotel School with a national diploma in food service management. She then went on to study at the Prue Leith College of Food and Wine in Pretoria, where she completed her national diploma in food and wine.
Yet nothing in Maruping’s childhood initially pointed towards a future in the culinary arts.
“Growing up, I hated cooking. My dad was the best cook; he was never confused about flavours, but he used to make a lot of dishes which I had to wash, so I hated cooking for that reason,” says Maruping.
“But when this thing is in you, it’s in you. Listen, I love food. I love serving people and seeing them enjoy the food. So, that motivated me to pursue food service management. The home cook should lean on functional foods that are going to boost your gut health and sustain energy, a shift away from cooking to fill the hunger.
“We want them to be conscious of what they’re eating, and we are not saying they must eat only boiled foods. Take the trends, the ingredients and techniques and put them together. Lastly, practise having diverse meals and ingredients on your plate, like Sunday kos on weekdays.”
Oxtail with butter bean mash
Ingredients
For the oxtail:
- 1,75 kg oxtail pieces
- 22,5 ml olive oil
- 100g onion, chopped
- 75g carrot, chopped
- 75 g celery stalks, chopped
- 7,5 g garlic cloves, crushed
- 7,5 g tomato paste
- 5g ground cumin
- 5 g mild curry powder
- 5g smoked paprika
- 15g beef stock granules, mixed with 500ml boiling water
- 200 g professional tomato pronto
- 15 g brown sugar
- 15 ml fynbos vinegar
- 15g Atchar pulp (no oil) (optional)
- 2 Bay leaves (each)
- Salt & pepper for taste
For the butter bean mash:
- 50 g mash flakes
- 100 ml cold milk
- 215 ml boiling water
- 600 g tins butter beans, drained
- 30g butter
- 20 ml olive oil
- 4 g crushed garlic
- 65 ml warm beef stock or braising liquid
- 1 lemon zest from 1 lemon
- Salt & pepper for taste
For Atchar Oil Drizzle:
- 20 ml Atchar oil
- 7,5 ml olive oil
- 2,5 ml lemon juice
- 2,5 g smoked paprika
Method
- To prepare the oxtail, heat oil in a large pot. Season oxtail with salt and pepper. Brown deeply on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until lightly caramelised.
- Add garlic, the tomato paste , ground cumin, mild curry spice and smoked paprika.
- Stir until the spices coat the vegetables.
- Pour in prepared beef stock and tomato pronto.
- Add in the brown sugar, vinegar, and bay leaves and stir in the atchar pulp for a mild fermented tang. Return the oxtail to the pot.
- Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 3½–4 hours until meat falls from the bone. Remove oxtail pieces carefully.
- Strain the liquid and reduce it for 10–15 minute until thick and glossy.
- To prepare the butter bean mash, place boiling water in a pot, bring to the boil and remove from heat.
- Add cold milk and the mash flakes and stir well.
- Heat butter and oil in another pot and add garlic and cook gently, without browning.
- Add the butter beans into the pot and warm through. Then, add warm stock and mash until creamy.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest.
- Mix in the mash flakes and butter bean mixture
- For atchar oil drizzle, mix together all the ingredients.
- Coat the oxtail pieces lightly with the reduced sauce.
- Serve with choice of seasonal side vegetables
