Food delivery has certainly had a moment as the coronavirus pandemic has forced many South African residents to stay home over the last few months.
From chakalaka, pap, and mogudu (tripe) being among the most ordered traditional flavours, Uber Eats has seen it all, according to their 2020 cravings report.
In a statement by the company, below were the findings.
Thanks but no thanks
As like last year, tomato remains the most requested item to be left off any meal, with more than 70 000 orders asking for its immediate removal. While thousands of tomatoes were saved, at least 3000 whole onions were spared the same fate, as the crunchy vegetable was the next most removed item.
Rounding out the top three most removed garnishes is pickles. While thousands of orders left off all trimmings and garnishes, South Africans do love extras.
The most requested addition to any order was that of extra sauce, with chilli being among the most popular. Mayonnaise, however, received the least love, being the most dejected condiment.
Over 5000 orders were made in the ‘hot’ category, while at least 1 300 went a step further and requested ‘extra hot’. Medium to mild was less of a crowd-pleaser but still performed well for those who prefer sweet over spicy.
Oddly satisfying, no?
Some will always love familiar flavours, but South Africans are brave in satiating their quirky cravings. More than 4000 requests were made to not include cheese, and a percentage of these were on pizza. Granted that these same orders also asked for a gluten-free base, and dairy-free toppings.
Other intriguing order combinations included dairy-free coffees topped with fresh cream, mild wraps with extra chillies and extra cucumber and barbeque sauce on kotas. The allergy-friendly filter was a popular feature with thousands of orders made via this specific filter.
During the nationwide lockdown, Uber Eats noticed a shift towards the adoption of healthier, reserved eating. The meat was commonly swapped for vegetarian-friendly options, while there was a stark increase in vegan orders placed.
The keyword “healthy" grew by an astonishing 82 percent while overall healthy orders increased by 71 percent. The Poke Bowl (with extra seasoning sauce for some reason) was the top healthy order.
Tried and tested
Local lekker has never been more true, with over 1 000 orders made with the request to swap out classic starch like rice, for traditional pap. How about a chakalaka salad dressing, which some eaters love!
Atchaar remains the most ordered traditional extra with orders including braaied meat, kotas, and pizzas. Bunny chows and curries reigned supreme in traditional cuisine, followed by Chinese stir-fries and Thai-infused woks.
Mogodu (tripe) also received some much-deserved respect, as the app onboards more traditional restaurants.