Skip to content

Substitutes and Food Info

Finding familiar South African flavours in Germany can sometimes feel like a culinary treasure hunt. Luckily, many of our favourite products are now just a click away.
And when that one special ingredient seems impossible to find—don’t fret. Germany offers plenty of excellent substitutes that work beautifully in our beloved recipes.
We’ve gathered a list of tried-and-true alternatives for you, complete with helpful German translations to make your shopping easier.

Below you’ll find separate pages covering different food categories — from meats and fish to baking ingredients, dairy, drinks, frozen products, and sugars. Each page includes South African favourites and their best German substitutes to help you cook and shop with ease.

Meat

🇿🇦 Meat the Difference: A South African’s Guide to Buying Meat in Germany 🇩🇪 Looking for proper boerewors? Wondering why German Rindfleisch doesn’t taste quite like home? Or scratching your head at all the unfamiliar beef cuts? Get to know the difference between German and South African beef cuts, learn

Read More »

Fish and Seafood

Fish and Seafood From Snoek to Seelachs: A Taste of Home Beneath German Waters Craving that perfect piece of hake? Looking for prawns that remind you of home? We’ve put together a list of the best places across Germany to buy fresh seafood — from speciality shops to supermarket counters

Read More »

Substitutes – Drinks

Substitutes – Drinks Looking for Milo, Horlicks, Frisco, Ricoffy or Lime Cordial?  We compiled a list of substitutes for some of the popular hot and cold drinks loved by South Africans Product Where to Buy / Notes Milo Most African and Asian Shops stock Milo. You can also buy it

Read More »

Frozen products

Frozen products Finding your favourite South African frozen products in Germany can be a bit like playing grocery store hide-and-seek This guide helps you decode supermarket shelves, discover the German names for your favourites, and find the closest substitutes when the real thing is nowhere to be found. No more

Read More »

Baking ingredients

Baking ingredients For all of the passionate bakers out there! We have thoughtfully compiled a comprehensive list of alternative ingredient options that can be used for baking in Germany, along with their corresponding German translations.      More information about Flour types Ash Protein US UK German ~0.4% ~9% pastry

Read More »

Types of Sugars

Types of Sugar Moving to Germany comes with its quirks, and even something as simple as sugar can surprise you. The soft brown sugar you grew up baking with? Rare. The rock sugar in your tea? Completely new.This guide is your pantry translator — showing you exactly which German sugars

Read More »

Dairy substitutes

Dairy substitutes From Schlagsahne to Quark, here’s a handy list of German dairy products, translations, and the best substitutes when your recipe calls for something hard to find. Types of Cream and special milk Product German Equivalent / Local Options Substitute Ideas & Notes Buttermilk Buttermilch For 1 cup buttermilk:

Read More »

Spices and Herbs

Here is a list of the most common spices and herbs with their Afrikaans, English and German names Spices Afrikaans English German Borrie Turmeric die Kurkuma Komyn Cumin der Kreuzkümmel Peper Pepper der Pfeffer Neutmuskaat Nutmeg die Muskatnuss Naeltjies Clove die Nelke Wonderpeper Allspice der Piment Herbs Afrikaans English German

Read More »

Buying South African Products

A Taste of Opera

South African online wine shop in Berlin selling the finest wines at the best prices. Order as a gift or simply to enjoy yourself – delivered straight to your doorstep in Berlin. These wines are innovatively paired with opera pieces – similar to a wine and cheese pairing, but with

Read More »

Die Spens Eindhoven

Die Spens is the largest South African shop in the EU. With more than a 1500 products available from South Africa as well as products from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Australia. With 2 shops located in the Netherlands: Amersfoort & Eindhoven. Located close to the highway and

Read More »

SA Food Store

We believe that our South African communities in Europe should have convenient and affordable access to all their favourite South African products, no matter where they are based. So, we have brought together a group of South African expats who are searching for flavours of home. We are proud to

Read More »

Christys Küche

  Hi, I’m Christy, a South African living in Düsseldorf since 2018. Prior to leaving SA, I ran my own catering business. I also had my own restaurant, KOMBUIS in Melville, which specialised in traditional SA dishes. Although we love living in Germany, we miss South African food terribly. So, we

Read More »

Sonja Kohlöffel – Gem Squash

Gem Squash tastes just like home Postal orders 6kg total cost for postage and packaging is 20€ Collections in either Ulm or Bad Waldsee cost 5kg is 10€ Please email sonjakohloffel@gmail.com with orders by no later than close of business on Fridays Orders will be sent out on Monday morning.

Read More »

Saffa Shop

A variety of South African products Homemade biltong, boerewors, droëwors and chilli bites. Lamb chops. Maize Meal and Samp Maltabella, Jungle Oats, Kreemymeelm and ProNutro Rooibos, Five Roses, Ricoffy, Frisco and Milo Alcoholic drinks like Klipdrift Brandy, JC le Roux,  Sedgwick’s Old Brown, Savanna, Hunter’s, Lion Lager and many more

Read More »

Die Spens Amersfoort

Die Spens is the largest South African shop in the EU. With more than a 1500 products available from South Africa as well as products from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Australia. With 2 shops located in the Netherlands: Amersfoort & Eindhoven. Located close to the highway and

Read More »

Related content

Shopping

Shopping Shopping in Germany – A Whole New Trolley RideNew country, new customs, and even your weekly grocery run feels like an Olympic event? You’re not alone. Shopping in Germany can seem intimidating at first, but once you learn the rhythm, it becomes part of the dance of everyday life

South African Recipes

South African Recipes We’d love to taste the flavours of home through your kitchen! If you have a family-favourite milk tart, a secret twist on chakalaka, or your own take on rooibos iced tea, we want to hear from you. Share your best South African recipes with us and help

German Cuisine and Recipes

German Cuisine and Recipes Many describe German food as hearty and comforting, often based on filling ingredients like potatoes and bread. Yet, German cuisine has a refined side—”sehr fein”—and Germany is home to some of the finest bakeries in the world. With over 300 types of bread and more than 1,200

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email