Namibian eating splits three ways: the staple grain dishes of the northern population, the meat culture shared with South Africa, and a German colonial residue that survives in bakeries, breweries and butcheries. Very little of it is spicy and almost all of it involves meat.
Kapana
The essential street food, sold in open-air markets and above all at the Single Quarters in Katutura. Beef is grilled over open fires, cut into pieces with a knife on the spot and handed over on a scrap of paper. You dip it into a mix of chilli and salt and eat standing. Vendors compete for attention and the whole thing operates on cash, speed and trust.
Game
Oryx, kudu, springbok, eland and zebra appear on menus everywhere, mostly from farms rather than the wild. Oryx is lean and dark, kudu milder and the most popular steak in the country. Game is not exotic here; it is ordinary farmed meat and cheaper than beef in many places.
Biltong and droewors
Air-dried cured meat, sliced or in sticks, sold in every filling station and made from beef or game. Droewors is the dried sausage version. This is what Namibians eat on long drives, and given the distances involved, that matters.
Oshifima and mahangu
In the north, the daily staple is a stiff porridge of mahangu, or pearl millet, pounded by hand and eaten with a relish of meat, spinach or dried fish. Oshikundu is a lightly fermented mahangu drink, mildly sour and low in alcohol. Mopane worms, the caterpillars of the emperor moth, are dried and fried and are a genuine local delicacy rather than a dare.
The coast
The Benguela current makes Walvis Bay one of the best oyster growing areas anywhere, with the oysters reaching market size in eight months instead of two years. They are excellent and absurdly cheap. Kabeljou and sole come off the same coast. Swakopmund bakeries still produce Schwarzwaelder cake and strudel, and Namibian beer is brewed under the German purity law.
Drinks
Windhoek Lager and Tafel are the national beers. South African wine dominates the lists. Amarula and various fruit liqueurs appear after dinner. Tap water is safe in the main towns; in remote areas ask, and treat borehole water if in doubt.
Eating out
Restaurant meals are inexpensive by European standards and portions are large. Lodges outside towns almost always serve a fixed three-course dinner at a set hour, so arrive before dark and tell them in advance about any dietary requirement — supply runs happen weekly, not daily.