Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

Witblits White Dog South African Moonshine

Witblits white dog moonshine the famous high-octane spirit.

Witblits Moonshine from South Africa. Whatever you call it; firewater, n dop brandewyn, moonshine, witblits, donkey dop, white dog this powerful sundowner (alcoholic drink) made from grapes will surely cause anyone a babalas, that means hangover in Afrikaans. 
 
Witblits Moonshine from South Africa photo by trevorhpittman

Philippolis is the oldest settlement in the Free State province of South Africa and is quiet most of the year. However, in April it’s time to celebrate a local tradition of distilling Afrikaans "white lightning" at the Philippolis Witblits Festival.

Witblits is made from grapes and is an undiluted homemade brew that does not involve any “calming down” therefore Witblits is not the smoothest brew and the alcohol content of the clear brandy can reach up to 70-80%.

Distinctive family recipes and small-batch manufacturing of Witblits means there is great variety in the manufacturing of white dog. In most homemade brews, a “still” is used to create the product. Fire heats up the brew mixture in the tank, the steam rises through the copper head before the liquid slowly flows down coiled tubes dripping out of the tap, into a bucket.

In 1924 there became a  monopoly on brandy production, however, small farmers were allowed to create their own homebrew usually from the leftover fruit on farms. Some museums in South Africa have special liquor licenses to distill Witblits as a working exhibit to collect money for the museum.


Prince Albert Cocktail
Prince Albert Cocktail

Did you know? A popular Witblits drink is the Prince Albert Cocktail made of a shot of Witblits and pomegranate juice over crushed ice. 

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture


Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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