Abstract:
The objective of this paper was to establish a food identity for one of South Africa’s least visited provinces, the
Free State Province. Twenty-nine qualitative responses were obtained via structured interviews from tourism
government and tourism association employees, local restaurateurs, local food and drink producers, local residents
and a local historian. Key findings indicate that the Free State’s food identity can be described as hearty, comfort
food cooked from ingredients typically found in the Free State, using recipes and preparation techniques passed
on from generation to generation in Basotho and Afrikaner families. Meat and beer emerged as fundamental local
items to be focussed on and promoted. Implications of the study include local tourism stakeholders gaining
knowledge of which food items to promote as Free State food. The study shows that food tourism can assist in
growing the tourism sector in the Free State, the development of a food tourism route and lead to the creation of
a new tourism brand focussing on typical Free State food. Key literature contributions of this study include closing
a literature gap by further studying food tourism in South Africa and establishing a determination process of
authentic food identities for any destination.
