dear

Leopard eyes the horizon for something gluten-free...

Before leaving for South Africa for World Cup, I was a bit concerned about what foods I’d have to eat. Turns out South Africa is the most gluten-free friendly place I’d ever been. From the airports to the supermarkets, there were gluten-free options everywhere.

At Cape Town International airport, the international terminal cafe had options of pasta and pizza made gluten-free. Not only was that option amazing but I was more amazed that the cafe took the time to train their staff to properly cook the pasta. I had a gluten-free linguini and there was no gummy texture, tasted just like regular pasta.

All across South Africa there are convenience and supermarkets called Spar (http://www.spar.co.za) . They’re everywhere, from small towns to airports to the big city, you couldn’t get away from it. They have dedicated aisles for organic and gluten-free items, snacks to full meals, everything to satisfy the most discerning palate.

Seafood Platter at Meat and Seafood Mongers, Guateng

Nelspruit we found a little pizza place in the Riverside Mall, called Panarotti’s Pizza (http://www.panarottis.co.za), that made a gluten-free handmade pizza crusts too. The malls have a variety of food from spiced chicken, Indian and Asian fare so it’s not hard to find good options that are gluten-free.

Springbok Carpaccio

All over the country I found cheap and delicious seafood. In a small area just outside of Johannesburg, Guateng, I stayed at a little B&B called Outlook Lodge. Just around the corner from it I found this wonderfully priced place called Meat and Seafood Mongers in Benoni, Guateng area. Check out the picture of the Queen Platter I got and it was only about $10 US dollars. Impressive to say the least. I ate, loved it, and had leftovers to fill me up later.

Heading south to Cape Town by the V&A Waterfront there are a host of seafood and local fare fine dining. We stopped at Karibu (http://www.kariburestaurant.co.za) and enjoyed this Springbok carpaccio special. The meat was very tender and not very gamey at all. Local foods like Bredie often consist of rice, meat and vegetables, so for the g-free foodie, you’ll do just fine. I ordered a Waterblommetjie Bredie (try saying that 3 times) which was lamb and a sea flower. Tasted soo healthy and hearty I loved it, the photo doesn’t do it justice.

There’s so much more I brought back from SA, but I’ll save it for another blog. Stay tuned. Congrats to Espana, they were my favorite to win!