You're out travelling in some forgotten part of Africa when you come across a farmer's butchery. Your food ideas for camping in Africa weren't well thought out at all. You're now so sick of eating all that canned food you packed and your craving for a juicy steak kicks in faster than a three-year-old can eat a crayon. The three most important things you're going to need in order for this brilliant food idea for camping to prove successful:

INGREDIENTS

1.  Campfire 2.  300g Steak 3.  Marinade, salt, pepper 2.  Grid 3.  Thick stick for stoking

METHOD

Step 1: The fire

Firstly you'll want to make a campfire. If you've been camping in Africa for a while, this shouldn't be a problem. Once your fire is lit, you're going to want to let that bad-boy burn for about an hour before it's ready to introduce your prime cut to.

Step 2: The meat

Now it's time to treat your steak to a little TLC.  Stock up on condiments when at the butchery. Grab a bottle of Oom Pietie's marinade and grab some salt and pepper if you don't have any. Rub salt and pepper on the steak and throw the steak into a Ziploc bag of marinade before placing it in a cooler bag for an hour.

Step 3: The grid

Next, get your grid ready. Some people buy the fancy braai grids that have legs so you can stand it in the fire. A flat grid works brilliantly too. Just gather a few sturdy rocks and build up low pillars or a frame that you can balance your grid on. It seems a little rustic, because it is.  Goodness, I'd pull a broken wire fence off a rubbish heap if it meant steak for dinner! Grid sorted.

Step 4: The stoking

When your fire is ready, even out the coals by stoking them. Place your grid on your stable frame setup and leave it there to heat up for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Braai the perfect steak

Your fire and steak have been chilling for the past hour and it's now show-time. Slap your steak on the grid for 5 - 7 minutes, depending on how thick Pietie cut them. Then flip the steak and allow to sizzle for another 4 - 6 minutes. Finally turn the seat once more for its last 2 minutes before removing from the fire.

Step 6: Realisation

Realise that you just managed to braai the perfect steak, and repeat process to make more. Now that you've unlocked the secret to cooking the perfect steak, camping in Africa need never be beef-free again! I'm sure you'll agree, steak is one of the best food ideas for camping in Africa.

When considering how to pack your food for a camping safari, you spent a lot of time planning your menu, and grocery shopping, so it deserves to be packed with a dash of simplistic greatness. You probably got very excited, went a little wild and came back with a mountain of products. When you're travelling between destinations you’ll want to make food and snacks easily accessible. All you really need to do is get organised. Get the gist of this article in a flash by watching this short YouTube video:

Tupperware

The best way to organise for your African safari trip is to use plastic storage boxes or tupperware. Tupperware is a really simply way to store food that is easily accessible and hassle-free when travelling on the road. Perfect for a snack time nibble between destinations.

Ziploc and label

A great way to organise the main meals you’ll be devouring on Africa safari tours is to place the ingredients in small ziploc bags and then group them together in one large ziploc bag, and pop that ziploc bag into one large tupperware. So you’ll take all the food that you’re going to prepare for meal number 1, put it in a large bag and label it, then pop it in the tupperware. Then when your lion sized hunger comes knocking (as it does on an adventurous African safari trip), all you have to do is go to your large tupperware storage and take out bag number 1 and inside is everything that you'll need to easily prepare the meal.

Photo by Michaela Kobyakov

Reduce packaging

If you’re on a camping safari, you’re going to have to carry your food. For this reason you’ll want to get rid of some of the bulky, unnecessary packaging placed around food products. Packaging takes up so much space and you don’t want to be lugging double your load. Also, it's a great way to reduce trash when camping. Solution? Remove the packaging, take what you need, stick it in a ziploc bag, and Hey Presto, problem solved. Ziploc bags are great for organisation, they’re waterproof and great for storage. If you’re keen to take something like macaroni and cheese out of its box, remember to rip the instructions off the packaging and place it in the ziploc bag with the ingredients. Macaroni and cheese can easily become macaroni and glue if you’re not following specific box directions. Everything is now neatly packed, labelled and ready for your camping adventure.

Campfire cooking

Simple, pre-packaged meals are a great idea and simple to cook. For example, a pre-packaged Indian meal would just need you to cook up some minute rice, drop the pre-packed meal into boiling water to heat it up, and in about three minutes you have yourself a delicious meal over the fire. When neighbouring campers see you eating that meal, they’ll think you spent hours slaving over hot coals to prepare such a fragrant dish. All part of clever camping practices. Although, nothing beats a delicious potjie made from scratch. Spend some time doing your research and shopping. You know what you like to eat, but remember that cooking over a stove and cooking over a campfire is very different. Go for simple camping meals with easy camping recipes and no doubt, your culinary campfire experience in the bush will be a lot more enjoyable and a lot less hassle. Trust me.

Food preparation

Now that you’ve organised and labelled the dung out of your food stores, you’ll need to pack the right pots and utensils for campfire cooking. Very important! If you’re going to go the whole hog and make a potjie from scratch, then you’re going to need to remember to pack a good quality potjie pot. Whereas for simple camping fire cooking you’ll simply need a few good pots to boil water, reheat food or mix up the ingredients of your mac and cheese. Utensils, utensils, utensils. That fork isn’t going to get you very far with that delicious tin of soup you’ve got camping in your tupperware. You best pack a can opener too. Half the work is knowing what to pack when camping.

Washing up

The next step is washing up. Make sure you have soap and a bucket if there isn’t a wash up sink available at the spot you’re going to be camping at. Now you're all set to pack food for an organised trip, now that you've learned how to pack food for a camping safari. All you have to do is pick your camping safari in Africa.

Camping safaris can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences you ever have, but only if you’re properly prepared with the right knowledge and the right gear, especially when you're venturing off on safaris in Africa. Watch this quick YouTube video about camping safari tips for beginners and get clued-up in a jiffy. Alternatively, just read the great camping tips below.

The Tent on Camping Safaris

First and foremost, you need a tent for camping safaris. The number of people you’ll have sleeping in your tent will determine the size of the tent you need. Rule of thumb: always get a tent that will sleep two more people than you intend to have. If you’re a family of four, get a six man tent. Why? You’ll need the extra room to store your duffle bags, backpacks, shoes, boots and other gear. It’s also nice, but not necessary, to have a tent you can stand up in. It makes getting in and out a little easier, as well as getting dressed and undressed. You’ll want to set your tent up on level ground, it is very uncomfortable to pitch your tent on uneven or slanted terrain. You'll need all the sleep you can get on safaris in Africa, with days filled with hiking, game viewing, dilated pupils and adventure.

Meal Planning on Camping Safaris

Okay, so you’ve made it to the campground. The tent is up, the gear is in. Well, you could take a break. I mean, you worked hard! You deserve it! Crack open a cold one and relax. Okay, enough relaxation, time to plan your meals. If you’re going camping with a group of people, then you’ve got some meal planning to do. How many people are you going to feed, and how often? Perhaps each person, or family can be responsible for one meal, or one day of meals for the entire group. Talk to each other beforehand. Good meal planning can prevent waste, and starvation. As far as what food to bring, well, whatever you normally eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is what you’ll bring. If you're going on an overland trip with fellow passengers, your overland guide is a great source of help for what food you should prepare for an overland truck full of hungry bellies, if it's your turn to cook.

Campfire Building on Camping Safaris

Okay, now you want to get some kindling. Kindling? Small pieces of wood that will burn quickly in order to get the fire started. Go out and gather some small branches. Pick them up off the ground in the area surrounding your campsite. On a camping safari, you don't want to venture off into the bush without a guide on a safari in Africa. There are wild animals out there. Also, cutting branches off trees is a no-no. Green wood won’t burn anyway. If you bought a bag of firewood, there should be some narrowly cut wood in there. Use that. Firstly, take some newspaper, or any other paper, for that matter, scrunch it up in a ball, and place it in the middle of the fire ring. Now you are going to build a little teepee around it. Use the kindling first, then surround it with larger logs. Now you’re just about ready for ignition. Light the paper in the middle, which in turn will burn the kindling, which in turn will burn the logs. All right, you’re not going to have a real flamer in 10 seconds, it is going to take a little work: you may have to re-light it a few times, blow on the embers, stoke it a bit, but eventually you will succeed. Camping safaris can be greatly enjoyable with a little help from great YouTube video resources, as well as your overland guide if you're venturing out on safaris in Africa.

We're not all Bear Grylls. We don't eat live scorpions, we don't crawl into small caves for cosy outdoor shelter and we don't start fires using friction. Stuff like that doesn't come naturally to most of us anyway. So if you're venturing out on one of your first camping safaris in Africa, and you feel the need to get in touch with your primitive side, take over the duty of starting the campfire with the below tips on how to build a campfire. Below is a quick video showing you how to build a campfire from scratch.You’ll be sitting around the dirt eating untoasted marshmallows if you don’t learn how to build a proper campfire for your camping safaris in Africa.

You will need:

1.Wood 2. Matches/lighter

Optional:

1. Rocks 2. Shovel Step 1 Make sure a campfire is allowed at your campsite. Some camping safari spots tend to be surrounded by dry vegetation which can ignite easily if strong wind crops up and blows embers into them. Step 2 See if your campsite has pre-made fire pits. If not, you’ll have to make one. Step 3 To create your own fire pit, choose a spot at least 10 feet away from brush and other easily flammable materials. Don’t forget to look up – fire pits should not be under branches. Safaris in Africa are about enjoying each area's natural beauty. You wouldn't want to smoke out any critters or birds away from their homes. Step 4 Surround your fire pit with a circle of stones or rocks to keep your wood contained. If you have a shovel, dig a pit about 6 – 8 inches deep inside your rock pile. Step 5 Gather wood. You’ll need three different types. 1. Tinder: small twigs and dry leaves. 2. Kindling: larger sticks and twigs still under an inch in diameter. 3. Fuel wood: large pieces of wood that will burn for a while. All wood should be dry and as free of dirt, moss, and debris as possible. Pile it at least 3 feet away from your fire pit. Step 6 Start by placing tinder in the centre of your fire pit. Step 7 Using 3 or 4 pieces of your kindling and build a teepee around the tinder. Step 8 Add more kindling to the downwind side of your teepee, then continue around to the upwind side. Leave an opening on the upwind side that will allow you to ignite the tinder within the teepee. Fire needs oxygen, so be sure to leave space between the kindling in your teepee to allow your fire to breathe. Step 9 Lay two parallel pieces of fuel wood on opposite sides of the teepee. The end should extend beyond your teepee. Lay two more pieces of wood on top of your first two, forming a square of fuel wood enclosing the teepee. Step 10 Continue laying fuel wood building up to a box that resembles a log cabin. Two or three layers will suffice. Make sure you can still access the tinder which is now inside the kindling teepee, which is inside your fuel wood cabin. Step 11 Light the tinder at several different locations. Stand upwind of your fire when you’re lighting it to keep the wind from blowing out your match or lighter. Step 12 Add small amounts of tinder until your kindling catches fire. Step 13 Once the kindling lights, switch your attention to the fuel wood. As the kindling burns up, add more fuel wood until it ignites. Step 14 When the fuel wood has caught fire, continue feeding it with fuel wood as needed. Now if that isn't fire making for camping safaris made easy, then I don't know what is! Good job! Now that your campfire is successfully burning, get ready to roast those marshmallows! Camping safaris in Africa not only broaden your view of the world but are also a great way to boost confidence and make discover your independent. Today a campfire. Tomorrow the world.

When you’re out camping, there is simply nothing more delicious than freshly baked cheese and onion potjie pot bread off the fire. So when it’s your turn to make a campfire meal, whip out that flat potjie pot, give yourself 1 hour and 30 minutes before the herd has to be fed and rustle up this scrumptious cheese and onion potjie bread. This recipes serves 8 hungry bellies, so if you’re making for 16, simply double up your quantity of ingredients, halve the dough when its ready and pop it into two separate potjie pots on the fire. What you’ll need: 500 g white bread flour 500 g wholewheat flour 25 ml white sugar 12 ml salt 10 g instant yeast 1 cup grated cheese 1/2 large onion 500 ml water 500 ml milk 40 ml butter or margarine Cooking instructions for cheese and onion potjie pot bread: Start making a fire a bit bigger than the circumference of the potjie pot. This will allow the pot to comfortably fit on top of the coals so that it gets even heat distribution. Also, you will need to take coals from the fire and place it on the lid of the pot. Take all the dry ingredients, yeast, cheese and onion, and mix it all together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate pot, take the milk, water and butter, and heat until lukewarm. Slowly add the lukewarm mixture to the dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Knead the mixture until it takes on an elastic stretch. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic and leave it in a warm place for 15 minutes to rise. After dough has risen, knead lightly and shape into a ball. Grease your medium-sized, flat-bottomed potjie pot* with butter or margarine and place the dough inside. Also grease the top of the dough and the inside of the lid with butter. Place the lid on and leave it in a warm place for about 30 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. When camping, a warm vehicle is a great place for this exercise. After the dough has risen, place the closed pot on the medium heat campfire coals. Place approximately 7 hot coals on the lid of the potjie pot. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked and the bread sounds hollow when you tap it. Remove the pot from the fire and leave it to cool slightly, then remove the bread from the pot. Voila! So the next time that carbohydrate craving kicks in and you’re landscapes away from a bakery, you know how to make a simply delicious pot bread on the campfire.

*A flat potjie pot is a black, heavy, cast-iron casserole pot with a lid, called a ‘dutch oven’. This pot is perfect for preparing food on safaris.

When on a camping trip, many campers forget how important it is to stay hydrated in an environment that your body is not used to. Here are our top 5 best ways to keep you hydrated on a camping trip.

Top 5 Best Ways to Stay Hydrated

1.  Camel backpack If you’re going to be hiking, walking, cycling or doing just about anything that involves you exercising outside, the simple way to keep water on you without having to lug a clunky water bottle around with you is to turn yourself into a human camel. Fella’s, I introduce to you, the camel back! Fill the backpack with water, sling it on your back and you’re ready to go. The straw-like tube attached to the back pack means you can sip-sip-sip away whenever your tongue needs a bath. Photo by Cape Union Mart 2.  Eat Your Water Fruit and veggies are a great source of water, so when you’re on a camping trip pack fruit and vegetables like melon, tomato, cucumber and watermelon. Yes, watermelon is actually a vegetable. Who knew? Fruit and veg aren’t the only food that supply a good source of water, some meat even contains about 60% water! Chicken is great for a chow-down hydration session. Photo by Irum Shahid 3.  Sunscreen Keep your skin hydrated and protected from the big ball of fire in the sky. Africa's sun is a scorcher and if you don’t balance the application of sunscreen with drinking water you’ll wake up with sun stroke and a terrible sunglasses tan/burn. Photo by Osseous 4.  Frozen Juices These are fun and great for kids of all ages (aka: adults too). Take six small fruit juiceboxes and freeze them. The sugar content in the juice means that the 250ml of juice doesn’t freeze completely solid but does make for a delicious crunchy ice-lolly that is loaded with vitamins, minerals and hydrating goodness. Photo by Steven Depolo 5.  Drink. Drink. Drink. Why wait to hydrate your body only when it really needs it? As they say: prevention is better than cure! Drinking water in the morning will prepare your body for a day of exploring and give you the boost you need at the beginning of that hike. Water is best. Sodas, iced tea, coffee, and sports drinks that contain caffeine fall short of good old-fashioned water. Sure, drinks which contain caffeine give you an extra boost but they act as diuretics, which means that even though you’re getting water, you're also pulling a little extra fluid from your body because of the caffeine content. Photo by Christian Kitazume Remember, when camping, stay hydrated, and if you experience thirst, loss of appetite, dry skin, skin flushing, dark coloured urine, dry mouth, fatigue or weakness, chills or head rushes you may be experiencing dehydration and need to get give your body the nutrients and hydration it needs to get you back to ‘happy camper’ status. Now that you know how to keep hydrated on a camping trip, its time to pick your adventure... Information sources: See Yosemite Suite101 MedicineNet Symptoms of dehydration Fit Sugar

On an overland trip can be delicious. Just because grandpa used to pack twelve cans of baked beans and play musical sleeping bags alone in his tent, doesn’t mean you have to. Sure, the whole ‘baked beans on toast’ meal is somewhat of a camping tradition, but we’ve evolved since then. Ah, sweet, sweet evolution. Check out the best camping breakfast ideas!

On-the-go Breakfast Ideas

Photo by Pontus Edenberg For mornings when you rise, shine and need to hit the road first thing, a quick fill-the-gap breakfast is needed to boost you all the way to lunch. Great, quick best camping breakfast ideas for a camping trip include:

• Option 1: Toast and spreads
• Option 2: Muesli and yoghurt
• Option 3: Fruit

Bacon and Egg Breakfasts

Photos by: Anna Moderska and Andrea Kratzenberg There are many variations to the winning combo of bacon and eggs. A few of these creative bacon and egg breakfast ideas include:

• Option 1: Paper Bag Bacon and Eggs
• Option 2: Eggs in a hat

Paper Bag Bacon and Eggs

• 2 strips bacon (thick)
• 1 paper bag
• 1 egg
• 1 stick

This is a real Huckle Berry Fin brekkie. Cut bacon strips in two, place at the bottom of the paper bag, covering the bottom. It is important that you have thick strips of bacon because thing ones will stick to the paper bag when cooked. Crack the egg and put it in the paper bag on top of the bacon. Fold the bag’s side down four times and poke the stick through from one side to the other and slide the stick through. So that the bag is hanging on the end of the stick. Hold the bacon and egg bag over the charcoal and watch the grease from the bacon protect the bag and cook the meal. After about 10 minutes when the meal is finished cooking, place on the table and slice the bag open. The bag has just becomes the plate! Simple and adventurous! Eggs in a hat

• 4 slices of your favourite bread
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices of ham
• 4 slices of cheese

(serves 4 dah!) Warm a greased skillet over a low heat. We’re not cremating anything here. Using a drinking glass, cut out a hole in the centre of your bread, taking care not to break the crust. Place the bread in the skillet and lightly toast it on both sides. Crack an egg into the hole in the bread and cook until the egg white is almost solid. Flip over and place a slice of cheese and then a slice of ham. Serve when cheese is melted. Anyone else here drooling?

Non-greasy camping breakfasts

Photo by Ivo Ruijters Non-greasy camping breakfasts are great for the heart and the hips and are therefore one of the best camping breakfast ideas.

• Option 1: Monkey Breakfast
• Option 2: Blueberry Maple Pancakes

Monkey Breakfast

• 1 banana
• 1 muffin
• 1 piece strog cheese
• 1 box juice

Blueberry Maple Pancakes The Dry Mix (pre-packed):

• 2/3 cup white flour
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• Dash of fresh-grated nutmeg

In Camp Add:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 egg
• ½ blueberries
• Maple syrup to taste

On an oiled griddle, fry over the campfire over a medium-to-hot heat. Turn pancake once when the top has formed bubbles and the pancake surface has gone from shiny to dry. Baked beans is no longer one of the best camping breakfast ideas and I think you’ll agree that its time to kick it to the curb. Never have I seen the fear in a child’s eye like that of little Johnny sitting by the campfire innocently roasting his marshmallow, terrified grandpa will turn his back to the fire as that can of baked beans kicks in… turning grandpa into a human flame thrower. Bye-bye marshmellow. Bye-by eyebrows.

Photo by Karen Andrews

You’ve booked your place on the overland truck and received your itinerary. Now what’s on the menu for the camping trip? How about you tell us! Not only is an overland trip about lugging your backpack and body weight across Africa, but it’s also about learning to cook for a truck full of fellow hungry explorers. That’s right, you and your fellow overland truck passengers will be each other’s Gordon Ramsey’s, Nigella’s and Dr Seuss’s for the duration of your overland trip. Some overland trips offer professional safari cooks who are hired to feed you, but where’s the fun in that?

Cooking for the group is not some kind of military enforced rule to prepare average citizens for survival situations where rations are involved; it’s actually a lot of fun. Being in a cooking team of roughly two to three members, depending on the overall group size, everyone gets a chance to cook meals, wash up and do the grocery shopping. After you’re put into a cooking team, your team is given a shopping list, wad of money and a nudge in the right direction to the nearest store to go and buy supplies. If you’re worried about buying the wrong quantity of food, or need someone to restrain you from running off and buying a Ferrari, disco ball and other useless items you won’t need on an overland trip, the guides are always more than happy to accompany you and lend their expertise. When you arrive at the overnight camping spot, there will be a designated area for making a campfire. It’s not a very good idea to mission off on your own and find a pile of dry wood in the middle of the grass to start your cooking fire on. Chances are that in less than 24 hours you would have successfully burnt your meal of bakes beans and toast… as well as flash braai’d the surrounding big five that were innocently meandering their stretch of homeland. Not cool. If you’re worried about your Master Chef abilities, ask your guide for easy camping recipes and tips. We wouldn’t want to have a repeat of the incident where an ‘innovative’ first-time overlander decided to boil vegetables... INSIDE the kettle. That incident reminds me of a similar event which involved a kettle’s freshly boiled water being introduced to packet sauce… INSIDE the kettle. If you think getting dog turd off a carpet is difficult, you don’t want to try get Knorr’s double thick cheese sauce out of the inner workings of a kettle. Three generous square meals are prepared every day, leaving you to waddle off once you’ve cleared your plate. There is more than enough food to keep you satisfied. Just because you’re missioning through Africa doesn’t mean you have to be fed like you’re a contestant on Survivor. In fact, 9 times out of 10 you put on weight while on an overland trip. There. Is. Enough. Food.

Three meals a day of good camping food include: Camping Breakfasts Toast, spreads, yoghurt, cereals and fruit for on-the-move mornings and not-on-the-move mornings it could be time for a good fry-up. Camping Lunch Cold meats, salads and sandwiches make for easy meals for camping. Camping Dinner A selection of casseroles, lasagnas, stews, roasts and grills with a compliment of salads and vegetables. So don’t worry, on an overland trip, we won’t let you go hungry, and most of the time, the food is delicious. On the bright side, whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger!

African cuisine is about more than just 'filling the gap'. Its about mixing food and culture to bring people together in the most delicious way possible. Depending on your route, an overland trip through Africa offers stops along the way where you can experience the food and culture of Africa. Below are Africa's top five delectable discoveries: 1.  Bunny Chow Good on the Indian chap who decided to hollow out half a loaf of bread and fill that sucker with curry!  Durban is now well known for its amazing surfing beaches and as the place where Bunny Chow was born: where some guy slapped it on a plate and had dinners screaming for more. Someone get that man a Bells! Experience it: Overland trips that include Durban Photo by Arnold Goodway 2.  Braai A braai is similar to the Aussie ‘barbie’ (barbecue), except we (Africa) came up with the concept first. Just saying. In the South African Sterkfontein Caves lies the World Heritage Site ‘The Cradle of Humankind’, where the first set of ‘burnt’ animal bones were found. Burnt animal bones: sounds like a braai to me, well at my Dad’s house anyway! The main difference between a braai and a barbecue is that a braai cooks meat over an open flame, where as a barbecue usually cooks meat using a gas lit flame. Braai meat has that succulent flavour of basting seared by real burning wood/coal. Using a barbecue powered by gas to cook my food instead of a braai? A camel’s backside and a candle would probably be cheaper. A ‘braai’ is a social custom involving cooking of food, enjoyed in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Zambia where a grid is no stranger to 'braaivleis' and 'boereworse'.  The braai stereotype in South Africa is that all the men congregate around the fire, talking about rugby and politics, beer in hand, while their little women gather inside, making salad and chatting about the latest sale. This is actually pretty accurate. Experience it: Overland trips that include Cape Town Photo by Blyzz 3.  Potjie Kos Potjie kos is a delicious stew of veggies, meat and starch. A potjie is the three legged cast iron pot that you cook the food in. ‘Potjie kos’ is an Afrikaans term meaning ‘Small pot of food’, although nowadays your average potjie pot holds about 6 litres. Small pot of food? Sure. For a sasquatch. It’s no wonder making ‘a potjie’ is such a social affair, with the meal taking between 3 to 6 hours to prepare. Finally coming off the open wood fire, the veggies and starch are soft and the meat is tender as a mother’s love. Experience it: Overland trip passing through the Panorama Route Photo by eJozi 4.  Mopane Worms Once upon a time, there lived a Mopane worm, let’s call him Bert. Bert was fat and juicy and lived in a Mopane tree. One morning Bert arose early as he always did, shuffled along branches as he always did, nibbled on leaves as he always did, when suddenly an African picked him off the tree, removed his intestines, dried him and ate him for lunch... as he always did. Found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Malawi, the Mopane worm is filled with nutrients and is rich in protein. Commonly found in markets; eating a Mopane worm is just one of those things you’ve gotta do when you visit rural Africa! Experience it: Overland trips to Zimbabwe Photo by NH53 5.  Biltong Biltong was discovered in South Africa. The Dutch settlers decided to experiment with drying meat and rubbing it with spices. Loads of people think that jerky is the same as biltong. Wrong! Beef jerky is like the famous Paris Hilton look alike: Sweet, but not the real thing. Jerky’s taste, spices and production method are totally different from that of biltong. Slivers of biltong are absolutely amazing in pastas, salads, potjies and just on their own. Experience it: Trans Africa overland trips Photo by Arnold Goodway African cuisine is unique and absolutely delicious, bringing the culture of the people into the preparation and flavour of the food. Now please excuse me while I go clean up the drool I’ve managed to decorate myself with while writing this post. Happy taste bud adventure!