Tapi Tapi
Ice cream shop · Observatory ·
African ice cream celebrating diverse continental food cultures
African ice cream celebrating diverse continental food cultures
"There are plenty of spots around the city with great ice cream, but Tapi Tapi, a small gelateria down an alley in a less touristy part of town, is by far the most interesting. That’s because the Zimbabwean-born owner with a background in molecular biology is constantly experimenting with punchy ingredients from all over the continent. And he’s not just trying something new every once in a while—over the past five years, he’s produced around 3,000 different hand-churned flavors, spotlighting less-common ice cream ingredients like kelewele (plantain) or urwarwa (banana beer). Whatever you order, you’ll likely try a scoop using an important African ingredient you’ve never heard of (and won’t easily forget)." - Mary Holland
"A playful, experimental ice-cream parlor run by an owner with a scientific background, this spot recasts dairy-based treats from Zimbabwe and East Africa into unexpected flavors—examples include ivhu (edible Zimbabwean clay), mursik masawu (inspired by Kenyan fermented milk and fermented fruit wine), and matemba toffee made from dried fish—alongside local flavors like rooibos, imphepho smoke and fynbos ash paired with native kei apples. Opened in 2020 in a student-filled suburb, the shop intentionally elevates indigenous ingredients and challenges colonial-era notions that local things are less worthwhile." - Sarah Khan
"Even in South Africa, African food is not the default. And in Cape Town especially, dining can be quite Eurocentric. Centuries of colonialism erased indigenous foods and entrenched the idea that European food is somehow superior. These effects are still found today, but a microbiologist turned ice-cream maker, Tapiwa Guzha, wants that to change. With every handcrafted scoop served at Cape Town’s Tapi Tapi, he tells the story of his own food history, as well as stories from across the African continent. His freezers contain flavors like rondo ice cream, made with a nutritious edible clay consumed by pregnant women all over Africa, as well as botanical flavors such as black-jack, bitter leaf, and baobab. Sometimes Guzha whips up an ice-cream version of kelewele, a caramelized Ghanaian plantain snack with ginger and fire-roasted peanuts. Guzha’s recipes range from comforting to challenging. One of his more daring ice-cream flavors included matemba, a dried fish that he paired with toffee. Tapi Tapi is located in the heart of Observatory, an eclectic and diverse neighborhood in Cape Town. Guzha has painted his open-air parlor with his own artwork and words. As a one-man business, his operation is truly remarkable, open six days a week and closed for churning ice cream on the seventh. But Guzha’s passion for his creations and his mission keep him going." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"Even in South Africa, African food is not the default. And in Cape Town especially, dining can be quite Eurocentric. Centuries of colonialism erased indigenous foods and entrenched the idea that European food is somehow superior. These effects are still found today, but a microbiologist turned ice-cream maker, Tapiwa Guzha, wants that to change. With every handcrafted scoop served at Cape Town’s Tapi Tapi, he tells the story of his own food history, as well as stories from across the African continent. His freezers contain flavors like rondo ice cream, made with a nutritious edible clay consumed by pregnant women all over Africa, as well as botanical flavors such as black-jack, bitter leaf, and baobab. Sometimes Guzha whips up an ice-cream version of kelewele, a caramelized Ghanaian plantain snack with ginger and fire-roasted peanuts. Guzha’s recipes range from comforting to challenging. One of his more daring ice-cream flavors included matemba, a dried fish that he paired with toffee. Tapi Tapi is located in the heart of Observatory, an eclectic and diverse neighborhood in Cape Town. Guzha has painted his open-air parlor with his own artwork and words. As a one-man business, his operation is truly remarkable, open six days a week and closed for churning ice cream on the seventh. But Guzha’s passion for his creations and his mission keep him going." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
"Even in South Africa, African food is not the default. And in Cape Town especially, dining can be quite Eurocentric. Centuries of colonialism erased indigenous foods and entrenched the idea that European food is somehow superior. These effects are still found today, but a microbiologist turned ice-cream maker, Tapiwa Guzha, wants that to change. With every handcrafted scoop served at Cape Town’s Tapi Tapi, he tells the story of his own food history, as well as stories from across the African continent. His freezers contain flavors like rondo ice cream, made with a nutritious edible clay consumed by pregnant women all over Africa, as well as botanical flavors such as black-jack, bitter leaf, and baobab. Sometimes Guzha whips up an ice-cream version of kelewele, a caramelized Ghanaian plantain snack with ginger and fire-roasted peanuts. Guzha’s recipes range from comforting to challenging. One of his more daring ice-cream flavors included matemba, a dried fish that he paired with toffee. Tapi Tapi is located in the heart of Observatory, an eclectic and diverse neighborhood in Cape Town. Guzha has painted his open-air parlor with his own artwork and words. As a one-man business, his operation is truly remarkable, open six days a week and closed for churning ice cream on the seventh. But Guzha’s passion for his creations and his mission keep him going." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
