Jollof rice, cassava, bunny chow, braised lamb potjie or bobotie?
These are some of the dishes that Qatar Airways is offering on flights between its Doha hub and Lagos, Cape Town and Durban.
Xia Cai, senior vice-president of product development at the airline, said the indigenous food options were a way of reminding African travellers of the taste of home and introducing visitors to the continent’s culinary bounty.
“Uncompromising commitment to our catering offering is a major factor in the airline being named the world’s best,” he said. Qatar Airways has won the award from Skytrax eight years in a row.
“It’s also why we are committed to showcasing regional African specialities with unique flavours and ingredients. We work very closely with local chefs when developing these menus and respect the heritage of each region’s culinary tradition.”
Qatar Airways’ catering team has also reimagined basic traditional dishes, offering enticing new twists, like biltong beef soup
— Xia Cai
The airline operates direct daily flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town. Operating in the region since 2005, Qatar Airways will celebrate 20 years of flying to South Africa early next year. The airline said it would curate a celebratory menu that “reflects the uniqueness of the cuisine of the nation and destination”.
“Qatar Airways’ catering team has also reimagined basic traditional dishes, offering enticing new twists, like biltong beef soup. While many of these traditional dishes boast a hearty, comforting quality, they are enhanced by fresh and vibrant accompaniments.”
Cai said the airline wanted to provide a platform to promote African flavours to the world in a way that remains true to the origins of each meal and in a manner that is innovative and modern.
To ensure the authenticity of the meals, Qatar recruited chefs from Capsicum Culinary Studio, owned by the AdvTech group in South Africa, to join its retail, culinary and hospitality team.
“A common sentiment was how many felt that their national cuisine should be more widely known globally. Many of these talented young chefs regard doing that as a major career goal,” said Cai.
As part of its strategy to further develop its operations in southern Africa, the Qatar Airways Group acquired a 25% stake in regional airline company Airlink in August. It said this investment was a demonstration of how integral Africa was to its business.
“This partnership not only demonstrates our confidence in Airlink, as a company that is resilient, agile, financially robust, and governed on sound principles but also in Africa as a whole,” said Qatar Airways Group CEO Mohammed Al-Meer.
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