16 Distinctively South African Things to Buy in Cape Town

Increasingly, young designers are making their mark on the face of Cape Town, often by incorporating local cultural symbols into colorful and bold textiles that are transformed into bags, pillows and other garments, sporting proudly the South African flag in such a colorful way that people can notice you from miles away on the street.

Shine Shine is a popular such example, and can be bought at a couple of cute shops around the city. African Image, on the corner of Church and Burg Street, stocks a range of Shine Shine products. A tray will set you back around R189, and fashionable handbags - between R310 and R365. They describe themselves as an independent, tribal art dealership, but are also known to be the first to offer many contemporary design products, including wire work, recycled craft, funky African print shirts, bags, baskets and numerous other examples of Africa's creativity. The Plush Bazaar, at the Biscuit Mill in Albert Road, also stocks Shine Shine products. If you can, go on Saturday, when the Biscuit Mill hosts a local produce market with a selection of goods fit to leave your mouth watering. Alternatively, you can also make an appointment with the designer by phoning +(27) 21 4242425.

Any visitor to Cape Town would agree that much of the city’s appeal is locked in its extraordinary natural beauty that is almost impossible to capture on film. Then why not let the professionals do the job for you?

A couple of books, like “Cape Town – The peninsula and beyond,” offer a collection of the best images available from well-know photographers. Usually on offer for around R200, it is available at a couple of bookstores throughout the city. Select Books in Surrey Street is a good option, not only because it is situated in vibey Surrey Street, but because the rest of the selection of books on offer are also extraordinary. They specialize in both out-of-print and new publications. It’s also available at Wordsworth Books in Main Road, Sea Point.

All South Africans love their beer, and Capetonians have contributed to it with a variety of independent breweries that put a bit more tender, loving care into their brews. Craft beer is made using traditional brewing methods. A good option is Boston Lager. It is sold in a variety of shops around the city, among others, Ultra Liquors at 122 Main Road Green Point. Ultra Liquors also has a branch at 300 Main Road, Wynberg. Another stockiest is the Tops Spar, located at 37 Derry Road in Vredehoek. A six-pack of popular Boston Ale variety, Whale Ale, will set you back R52.

Artists and other creative folk have always flocked to Cape Town. Today, many are expressing themselves through jewelry design, incorporating local emblems, like the Protea (the national flower from the Western Cape Region) or local materials - wood and shells.

Natasha Wood jewellery is sold at a number of markets throughout the city, and ranges from R200 to R5000. She mostly uses sterling silver to bring her Protea designs to life.

At this side of the world, coffee and tea equals rusks. A dried snack that you dip in your coffee and tea before you eat it, it is a local and national treasure. The most famous brand, Ouma Rusks, comes in a variety of flavors, like condensed milk, aniseed, buttermilk, whole-wheat and muesli. You can literally buy Ouma Rusks in any Pick ’n Pay, Checkers or Spar across the city (all of them open regular business hours) for about R22. Buy a box, and you get to “dip a Ouma” (as the slogan says, meaning "dunk an Ouma") when you’re safely back home. A variety of home-baked rusks are also sold at bakeries and home-industry shops. “Uit ons Kombuis” (from our kitchen) is in the Tyger Valley Shopping centre in Bellville at the corner of Bill Bezuidenhout and Willie van Schoor Streets. They are open during the shopping centre hours.

The city was one of the FIFA 2010 World Cup hosts and specially-built Green Point dominates the cityscape. Capetonians are avid sport-supporters, and few receive more adoration than the two local Premier Soccer League Teams, Santos. A jersey of the local soccer (might as we call "football") team is sure to make you friends and make memories when worn back home. Visit the Sportsman’s Warehouse, open seven days a week.

The Mardi Gras (or Cape Coon festival), famous for the colorful Kaapse Klopse (minstrels) who march through the city, is a yearly highlight. The festivities are associated with a style of Cape Jazz music, or Ghoema Jazz. Today, many songs are jazzed up folk music standards from the Cape and, thus, justify consideration as "world music", even though it has a very distinct, local flair.

Look out for the Cape Jazz series of CDs, specifically Volume 3 – Goema. They can be bought for under R100 at Look & Listen stores in the city. Look and Listen is one of the country’s biggest music chain stores, and they stock a wide range of local and international artists.

Cape Town welcomes all types of visitors, but has definite soft spot for the exquisitely clad variety. Many fashionistas have set up shop in glitzy Cape Town, and local designers offer their exclusive gear at boutiques around the city, as well as shopping mega-hubs, like the V&A Waterfront. Based in Cape Town, Hip Hop is one of South Africa’s iconic fashion labels. The brand is famous for glamorous gowns and is the first choice for many Cape Town fashionistas.

Photographed is the iconic Hip-hop blossom maxi-dress that retails for R1,995. Hip-hop clothing can set you back anything from R500 to R5,000.

Once the choice of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis Philippe of France and members of the British Royal House, the Groot Constantia wines are still synonymous with some of the country’s favorite wines. Located on the Constantia Wine Route (take Groot Constantia Road off the Constantia Main Road), a visit to this historic wine farm will not only take you through some splendid scenery, but also land you in a historic hotspot. The farm’s history goes back as far as 1685, and is a fine example of Cape Dutch architecture. A wide range of estate wines are created and sold here, anything from Semillon to Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot and Cap Classique. Prices range from R56 for a 2010 Blanc de Noir to R1980 for six bottles of 2008 Grand Constance (375 mℓ). Wine can be bought on the estate or delivered, but a visit to the farm is recommended for a leisurely walk on the shady estate, a visit to the museum or a bite to eat in the restaurant.

Literally translating from Afrikaans as ‘small water flower stew’, waterblommetjiebredie is a true South Africa delicacy. The flowers, commonly known as Cape Pondweed (or Cape asparagus), are found in the marshes of the Western Cape, and were probably introduced to Dutch settlers by the Khoi San. A waterblommetjie is a relatively rare sight today, but the plant, commonly used in a mutton or beef stew, is still firm, although rare, favorite. Luckily, this treat does not have to be forgotten. You can find a fresh batch at certain time through the year, but the canned variety is almost just as good. A stew back home, with this added, is sure to be a rare delight for any guest, or just worth a night reminiscing about the Cape.

Canned waterblommetjies can be picked up at some Pick ‘n Pays, Woolworth, Checkers or Spar stores for about R23.99 a can.

Amarula is the only cream liqueur in the world made from a real Marula fruit (grown in Phalaborwa, South Africa) and is distilled and bottled in the Western Cape. Said to be filled with the African spirit of the marula fruit, you can taste the exotic fruit of Africa. With a bottle of Amarula you can entertain in style, and the drink can be enjoyed on ice, or in a variety of cocktails and coffees. It’s widely available, and you can pick up a bottle for around R80 at a variety of stores.

Try Midmar Liquors in Strand Street is where you will find a huge variety of other alcoholic beverages, including local wines. Or, if you feel like a road-trip while on the lookout for your bottle of Amarula, try Blue Bottle Liquors.

Originally, the Cape of Good Hope was established as a refreshment station for ships traveling the spice route, and Dutch settlers brought the Malays to Cape Town, originally as slave labor. With them, they brought a rich cultural history, specifically their use of spices. Their legacy is entrenched in Cape Town’s culture, specifically through their cooking and seasoning. Varieties include the use of over 30 chilies, and different combinations of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. You can almost taste 300 years of history in one bite.

A popular choice is the Atlas Trading Company. This spice shop really gives you a taste of the Cape Malay culture itself. Popular choices include the 100g packet of leaf masala (consisting of twelve different spices) for R5.14. Alternatively, try the Woolworths Cape Malay Curry Cook-in Sauce (R24.95) or their Cape Malay Curry Powder (R12.95).

Traditional African jewellery are widely recognizable by their bright use of colors, and most often, the use of beads. Beaded accessories are scattered all over the city, from street vendors, trying to make a sale, to sleek boutiques. If you’re looking for that special beaded necklace to liven up any outfit, head towards Long Street. A major street in the City Bowl, it is a famous bohemian hangout and filled to the brim with restaurants, coffee shops, designer boutiques and quirky shops.

Look out for the Pan African Market, comprising 33 stores and stalls representing at least 14 countries of Africa. As a meeting place for African migrants and visitors from around Africa and the rest of the world, PAM now houses a dynamic market place where traders from all over the continent make and sell their art and run small businesses. Beaded necklaces go for anything between R120 and R360. The Greenmarket Square, just around the corner on a cobbled square between Short and long Market Streets, is also well worth your time.

Considered by many to be synonymous with the Cape Region, these aromatic shrubs are also used to make specialty soaps and beauty product – fresh from the earth. A number of beauty products have been produced, enabling you to take the fynbos goodness even closer to home.

The Kirstenbosch Shop at the world renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (recently voted the best picnic spot in the world) sells Fynbos bath salt at R25, and also stocks the Cape Fynbos range of oils at R50 each. It comes in two varieties, ‘Wild’ and ‘Dream’. You don’t have to enter the garden the visit the shop, but a walk through the botanical gardens itself is a truly magical experience. You can also visit the Wellness Warehouse, where they keep a small variety of fynbos soap for under R20. Kloof Street itself is lined with quirky shops and restaurants, and you can easily while away the afternoon here.

South Africa’s home-grown and much loved herbal tea is indigenous only to the Cederberg region in the Western Cape. A very popular choice in almost all homes and restaurants, a sip of this red drink, when back home, is sure to bring back fond memories of your holiday. Famed for its relaxing taste, it is also caffeine-free and filled to the brim with anti-oxidants. This herbal drink is widely available in Cape Town and you can pick up a variety of brands at a multitude of shops across the city, like popular supermarkets Pick ‘n Pay, Woolworths, Checkers and Spar. Brands like Eleven o’ Clock Rooibos Tea, Freshpak and Clipper Organic are popular choices, especially in its original form, but the tea is also developed into many different flavors.

Almost available around every corner, why not visit the Pick ‘n Pay in the V&A Waterfront for your purchase? Here, Eleven O’ Clock can be picked up for R15.49. In the same shopping centre you can also buy your tea at the Woolworths, or visit Melissa’s. This food shop sells rooibos leaf tea at about R36 for 250g. You can tie the occasion up with a trip to the City’s working harbor, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Africa. Enjoy a cup of tea (or just about anything else you can imagine) in one of the 80 or so restaurants and watch the ships go by while the majestic Table Mountain looks on.

Nestled where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, the ocean is a much part of the city as the iconic Table Mountain. Not surprisingly, sea-salt products are available. At selected spots you can find salt harvested of the shores of St Helene Bay on the West Coast, or Nature’s gift for curing, soaking, marinating, pickling and much more.

Another brand is the Oryx Dessert Sal products (from R24) and Cavendish Mall. Pick ‘n Pay also stocks a product range of plain, fine and course salts, as well as seaweed, tomato and olive and garlic and herb flavors. These are stocked at, among others, the Camps Bay Pick ’n Pay. You can also visit the Food Lovers Market for the Khoisan range of plain, flavored and African range of products.