The dishes that explain the history of South Africa’s Gold Rush City.
An introduction to Johannesburg’s history tends to begin with the story of two wandering prospectors quite literally stumbling on gold on the Witwatersrand (“ridge of white waters” in Afrikaans) region of what was then called the Transvaal (now Gauteng province, where Johannesburg is located) in 1886. This is where the world’s largest gold rush began, attracting European migrants who sought to make their claim on the newly discovered fortunes. The excavation of this seemingly endless supply of gold and diamonds required cheap labor, supplied by the African people already living in this region. The story of Johannesburg—known as Egoli (“city of gold”) in Zulu, the language and name of South Africa’s largest ethnic group—is that of a city forged by people from different walks of life seeking wealth and opportunity. It is from this layered history that Johannesburg’s rich and diverse culinary customs were born.
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