Looking to brush up on your cooking skills? or, just bored of your usual dinner recipes? We've got you covered! Browse our picks of some of the best South African cook books below - showing us local is always deliciously lekker!

Best South African Cook Books

Sifo: Cooking Husband  - Sinoyolo Sifo - R330

Sinoyolo Sifo is a husband that cooks. His goal: to break the gender stereotypes that surround male figures in the kitchen and encourage more men to cook.

As he says, the kitchen is no longer the domain of women only, and men need to get more comfortable in the kitchen, so they can share equally in the responsibilities of day-to-day life and its demands.

Using what he calls 'the universal language of food', Sifo: The Cooking Husband is an invitation to readers - men and women alike - to share in the joy of making memories through food.

Inspired by the nostalgia of home and family, this book brings together a selection of almost 70 recipes, each one simple and accessible, wholesome and delicious. There are scrumptious breakfasts, indulgent pasta dishes, hearty stews, quick lunches, impressive dinners, decadent desserts, as well as traditional South African dishes and some childhood favourites.

Whether you are a newbie cook still finding your way around the kitchen, or more confident in your culinary abilities, these recipes are sure to satisfy the foodie in you.

Hosting With the Lazy Makoti: A Celebration of Food - Mogau Seshoene - R350

Hosting with the Lazy Makoti, will show you how to host any occasion with stylish and tasty food, from soul-warming one-pot dinners, irresistible easy bakes, and hearty plant-based dishes to Mzansi favourites, flavourful seven-colour meals, decadent desserts, vibrant African cuisine, and much more.

Vleis: Die Omvattende Gids - Annelien Pienaar - R380

Suid-Afrikaners is nou maar eenmaal gaande oor vleis. Dis onontbeerlik op enige feestafel, en vir die meeste van ons is selfs ’n gewone weeksaandete nie volledig daarsonder nie. Nie net is dit heerlik en vullend nie, dis ook propvol voedingstowwe wat goed is vir ons.

Vleis: die omvattende gids is ’n moderne ensiklopedie wat ’n ereplek verdien in die kombuis van almal wat graag vleis eet en gaarmaak. Afgesien van resepte vir smullekker vleisgeregte vir elke okkasie bevat dit hope inligting oor die beste manier om die verskillende snitte en soorte vleis te berei, hoe om vleis te vries of tot perfeksie te verouder, tesame met ’n hordes wenke om geur en sappigheid te verseker – alles sonder preserveer- en ander kunsmatige bymiddels.

Die voedselwetenskaplike en gewilde kosskrywer Annelien Pienaar se passie vir goeie, volhoubare vleis word weerspieël op elke bladsy van hierdie boek.

Kitchen Shortcuts: Recipes for Smarter Cooking - Foodies of SA - R390

Foodies of South Africa is the No.1 destination on the internet for recipe videos that are fun, easy and proudly local – but it’s also so much more than that!

Over the years it’s grown into a community of people of all backgrounds and kitchen skills with at least one thing in common: a passion for food. This community has grown into talented home cooks and bakers through creative food ideas and clever recipes.

That’s where KITCHEN SHORTCUTS comes in: to celebrate the kitchen successes and new-found chefs over the years. This cookbook is a collection of Foodies of South Africa’s easiest recipes designed to help you brush up on your kitchen skills with every new dish you make.

Each recipe includes accessible tools you already have at home, as well as genius tips and hacks to guide you every step of the way. 

Mynie Plays With Fire - Mynie Steffens - R340

As Mynie Steffens admits herself, she is a self-confessed braai addict and has been cooking over fire since the age of 10! She says: ‘Everything tastes so much better when it’s cooked over fire…I find any reason possible to organise an epic, all-day braai.’

Using her experience gained on a travel and braai cooking TV show called ‘Speel met vuur’ and catering for private braai events, often with a braai-tasting menu, Mynie decided to play with these ideas even further, resulting in this cookbook of braai-tasting menus as the best braai entertainment ever.

From the menu themes, to the accompanying music playlists and fun facts, never forgetting the delicious and often quirky recipes themselves, Mynie invites you to have fun as you play with your braais.

So whether you’re a braai virgin or you consider yourself a braai expert, why not join the party and learn new tricks the Mynie way.

Also available in Afrikaans.

Huiskos: Nostalgie is die Beste Geurmiddel - Herman Lensing - R390

Huiskos vertel – in sy eie woorde – die storie van Herman se 34 jaar op hierdie aarde. Anders as in sy ander boeke deel hy hierdie keer ook resepte wat hy by sy vriende leer ken het en by mense op vele reise deur Suid-Afrika.

Huiskos bevat meer as 80 resepte, van ontbyt tot hoofgeregte, van bykosse tot vleisgeregte, van koeke, koekies en beskuit tot nageregte (soos trifle, roomys en selfs basaarpoeding).

Elke hoofstuk weerspieël Herman se liefde vir kos en vir mense, met staaltjies waarin jy jou kan verkneukel. Dis alles pretensielose resepte met bestanddele wat jy van Pretoria tot in Pofadder kan kry. Huiskos is nes jy Herman se kombuis ken: kos wat almal kan saamkook.

Also available in English 

Jane's Delicious Superfoods For Super Health - Jane Griffiths - R350

Jane’s Delicious Superfoods for Super Health is a comprehensive guide to more than 150 delicious, nutrient-rich foods which, when eaten as part of a balanced diet, boost our immune system, improve our health and reduce the risk of disease.

From asparagus to zucchini, maca root to shiitake mushrooms, chickpeas to pomegranates, buckwheat to brazil nuts, the book covers fruits and vegetables, seeds and grains, herbs and spices, nuts, seaweeds, mushrooms and more.

A wealth of detailed information is provided on why these foods are good for us, as well as how to maximise their benefits and incorporate them easily into our daily meals.

Written in Jane's practical and entertaining style, and full of fascinating titbits about the history and origins of what we eat, the book also covers health aspects such as food sensitivities and the importance of gut bacteria, kitchen and pantry basics, plus useful tips on smoothies, sprouting, juicing, dehydrating, fermenting and healthy cooking. And for those keen to grow their own superfoods, there is also gardening advice.