From Mzansi, With Love - A Guide for Homesick South Africans Abroad (And Those Who Love Them)

February has a way of turning our attention to love - not only the romantic kind, but the quieter, more enduring forms too. The love between parents and children, siblings, old friends, chosen families and the people we carry with us no matter how far we roam. It’s a time that reminds us that love isn’t only about grand gestures or perfect moments; it’s about connection, care and the small acts that help people feel seen, remembered and supported.

For those living far from home, that reminder can land a little deeper. Distance has a way of sharpening emotion. It brings gratitude and longing into the same breath. And for anyone who has ever packed up their life and rebuilt it somewhere else, this season of love can stir a familiar ache - not just for people, but for the places, rituals and comforts that once made everything feel anchored.

That’s where this story begins.

How to Show a Homesick Saffa Some Love

For South Africans abroad, that absence is deeply sensory. It smells like a braai you can’t attend and sounds like laughter you recognise but can’t quite reach. It’s the rhythm of home - familiar, unforced and hard to replicate elsewhere.

And that longing creates an opening.

The Ultimate Homesickness Foods

When you can’t send sunshine, space, or that unmistakable sense of belonging, you send what comes closest - taste. Because food has a way of collapsing distance. One bite can undo years, miles and time zones in seconds.

For South Africans abroad, certain foods aren’t just snacks or pantry staples - they’re emotional shortcuts. They taste like childhood kitchens, family gatherings, weekend braais and conversations that stretched long into the evening.

These are the flavours that make homesickness soften, even briefly. The ones that remind a Saffa exactly where they come from - and that someone, somewhere, cares.

Biltong and Droëwors
Let’s get this out the way: jerky is not biltong. It never will be. Biltong is thicker, richer, air-dried properly and seasoned with coriander the way the ancestors intended. Droëwors? That snap, that spice, that unmistakable smell when you open the bag. Emotional damage.

Boerewors
Real boerewors has a balance that can’t be faked. Not too fine, not too coarse. Enough fat. Enough spice. No shortcuts. It tastes like Saturday afternoons and family debates around the fire.

Mrs Ball’s Chutney
This is not just a condiment. It is cultural heritage. Sweet, tangy, familiar. It belongs on everything and tastes like school lunches, braais and late-night toastie experiments.

Nando’s Sauces
Yes, there are Nando’s globally. No, it’s not the same. The sauces hit differently from back home and Saffas know it.

NikNaks
Cheese-dusty, aggressively orange, impossible to explain to foreigners. One packet and you’re twelve again.

Ouma Rusks
There is no substitute. None. Dunking anything else in your tea or coffee feels like betrayal.

Five Roses or Freshpak’s Rooibos Tea
Tea is not just tea. It’s comfort. It’s conversation. It’s a pause in the day that feels distinctly South African.

Beacon Chocolate, Bar One and Lunch Bar)
Emotional support chocolate. Enough said.

Romany Creams
Chocolate, coconut, crunch - a perfect biscuit that somehow doesn’t exist anywhere else.

All Gold Tomato Sauce
Because no, ketchup is not the same thing.

Peppermint Crisp
An ingredient, a snack, a secret indulgence. Iconic.

Sparletta Cream Soda

Fluorescent green. Unapologetically sweet. One sip and you’re back at a birthday party, a corner café or sitting in the back seat on a long drive home. It’s not just a cooldrink - it’s a memory in a bottle.

Jungle Oats, Bokomo Weet-Bix, Koo Baked Beans, Simba Chips
Each one a small time machine. Each one capable of triggering a full-blown nostalgia spiral.

Love, Delivered

Here’s the good news - and this is where Valentine’s Day gets its glow-up.

You don’t need to wait for someone travelling “back home” to smuggle half a suitcase of goodies. Outside of the Continent, there are South African speciality stores that stock these exact products - and many of them deliver straight to your loved one’s door step.

Which means that this Valentine’s Day, you can send something far more meaningful than flowers.

A surprise delivery of familiar flavours says “I love you” and “I love who you are” in a language a Saffa will truly understand.

Because Being Away Is Brave - But It’s Still Hard

Because even the bravest people get tired of explaining where they’re from. Of translating jokes. Of missing weddings, funerals, birthdays and braais.

And sometimes, love doesn’t look like grand gestures.

Sometimes love looks like a jar of chutney, a packet of NikNaks and a note that says: This tastes like home.

So show a homesick Saffa some love - one bite at a time.South African Shops Abroad – By Country

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and reflects details available at the time of writing. Store listings are provided for general reference, and availability, pricing and delivery options may change. Inclusion of any store does not constitute endorsement.

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