Marinated and spit-roasted, shawarma is a delicious Middle Eastern meat treat whose origins can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire era, while its name stems from the Arabic pronunciation of the Turkish word çevirme (lit. to turn; turning), and refers to the rotating skewer on which the meat is cooked.
Shawarmas are made with either lamb, turkey, chicken, beef, or a mix of different meats which are slow-cooked for hours and basted in their own juices and fat, gaining an incomparable succulence, but the real secret to a perfect shawarma is in the marinade.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Kebda Eskandarani or Alexandrian liver is the Alexandrine specialty consisting of fried beef liver with spicy seasonings such as cumin, garlic, cardamom, and chili peppers. It is usually served in sandwiches along with tahini dip, or on its own, accompanied by warm rice, lime wedges, or pita bread on the side.
Although not much is known about the origins of the dish, it is extremely popular in Alexandria, where it can be found at numerous street food carts or fast food shops, perfect for a quick bite or an order to go.
Fricassee is a traditional sandwich that's packed with flavor, but also with lots of calories. The base is made with flour, eggs, oil, salt, water, and yeast, and it is then shaped into round or elongated rolls which are fried in hot oil and filled with tuna, hummus, boiled eggs, capers, olives, harissa, and boiled potatoes.
Although this sandwich can be made at home, it is especially popular at fast food restaurants and sandwich shops.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Gatsby is Cape Town's signature sandwich consisting of a crusty, toasted roll that is stuffed with bologna slices, French fries, ketchup, lettuce, and hot piri-piri sauce. The sandwich is so big that it is usually sliced into four portions, and it can easily feed several people.
Gatsby is named after F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, possibly referring to the size of the sandwich and the richness of the filling. Today, there is a variety of different ingredients for the filling, from masala steak to calamari and sausages.
MOST ICONIC Gatsby
View moreSpatlo or kota is a popular South African sandwich and a specialty of the Gauteng region. The sandwich consists of a quarter loaf of bread that has been hollowed out and stuffed with ingredients such as cold cuts, eggs, atjar, chips, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and cheese.
The name kota is derived from the English word quarter, referring to the size of the loaf.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 5 African Sandwiches” list until February 14, 2025, 1,551 ratings were recorded, of which 650 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.