In Black South African homes, the meal is organized around a starch base — pap (white maize porridge) or umngqusho (samp and beans) — surrounded by relishes (morogo, chakalaka), stews, and fermented milk. On Sundays after church, the 'seven colours' feast with multicolored dishes is laid out. Maize is eaten by hand, rolling a ball of pap and dipping it in sauce, and the meal is above all an act of sharing and communion.

Ground white maize is the beating heart of the South African table: it becomes daily pap, festive samp in umngqusho, or the dough for fried snacks. It is the food of equality — rich or poor, everyone eats their pap. Tutu, a self-confessed foodie, saw in this shared bowl an image of ubuntu: I am because we are.