Koeksisters

The syrup is kept ice-cold, often flavoured with lemon juice, ginger or cinnamon, and the strips of dough, plaited or twisted and deep-fried until golden, go into it straight from the oil. Dipping the hot pastry into the cold syrup gives koeksisters their glossy, sticky finish and crisp bite.

They are closely associated with Afrikaner baking, but their history is shared. Hildegonda Duckitt printed a recipe in 1891 under the name koesisters, describing it as a Batavian or old Dutch sweetmeat, and the Dictionary of South African English calls the word's origin obscure. In 1944 the writer I.D. du Plessis noted that koeksisters and melktert were still made in Cape Malay homes. The plaited koeksister and the spiced, coconut-coated Cape Malay koesister are now treated as two different treats.