Koeksister

South Africa’s koeksister is a confection of braided, fried dough soaked in cold syrup. The hard outer crust absorbs the syrup while keeping its crisp bite. By contrast, the similarly spelled koesister has a Cape Malay method in which spiced, yeast-raised dough is passed through hot syrup and coated in coconut. What separates the two is not only the braid but also how the dough is leavened and the temperature of the syrup.

Braided, fried dough soaked in cold syrup

Some koeksisters are made by cutting slits in rolled-out dough and braiding it into three strands, while others are made by twisting two strands together. In methods that use baking powder, butter is rubbed into the flour, and egg, milk, water and baking powder are added. Thin dough becomes hard and crisp, while thick dough tends to keep a soft interior, so the texture is not determined by the braided shape alone.

In this recipe (the proportions of ingredients and the method), the warm fried dough is soaked in thoroughly chilled syrup. The syrup uses sugar and water along with lemon juice, cream of tartar and spices. The acids in the lemon juice and cream of tartar split some of the sucrose into glucose and fructose during heating, which keeps large sugar crystals from growing. Because the syrup is less likely to turn grainy, it stays in a state that soaks in easily, from the surface of the braid into the narrow gaps. Since the syrup warms up with each dipping, the instructions call for chilling it again. Unlike sweets that are simply dusted with powdered sugar after frying, letting the syrup soak in while keeping the crust crisp requires temperature control.

Koesisters made from yeast-raised dough are dipped in hot syrup

The koesisters shared by cook Fatima Sydow are made by proving a sticky dough that contains yeast and a small amount of baking powder. They are flavored with aniseed, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and citrus zest. The dough is not braided but shaped into elongated ovals, fried, put into hot syrup and coated in coconut. This combination of soft yeast-raised dough and hot syrup differs from braided sweets placed in cold syrup.

Fatima describes this confection as one whose aroma fills the home on Sunday mornings. They can also be made in a batch up to the frying stage and frozen, then thawed and passed through hot syrup when they are to be eaten. This method separates the steps of proving and frying the dough from the finishing done just before eating. Because syrup that is used many times becomes thick, a little water is added to keep it in good condition.

An origin story tied to “sisters,” and other etymological theories

The Dictionary of South African English records spellings such as koeksister, koesister and koeksuster, and states that the etymology is unclear. Candidates include Dutch koek, “cake,” and Malay kuih, “small cake,” and one explanation links the second half of the word to sissen, the sound of frying, plus an agent suffix. Besides the explanation that the two strands of dough were likened to sisters, there are several other theories about the word’s origin.

A 1949 book cited by the dictionary tells of a daughter who asked her mother what she was making; the mother replied, “Cake, little sister,” and the name is said to have come from that exchange. This is a handed-down origin story that explains the confection’s name through an affectionate conversation between mother and daughter.

Records in old cookbooks and the two methods of today

Hilda Duckitt’s 1891 cookbook calls Koesisters “a Batavian or old Dutch recipe.” A 1913 glossary also describes it as a confection fried in fat and coated with powdered sugar. It appears that in the past, even sweets with names similar to the one now coated in coconut were finished differently.

Through a history of contact between the food cultures of Dutch settlers and people brought to the Cape from Southeast Asia and elsewhere, different methods have survived under closely related names. Methods also vary from household to household and from shop to shop. The differences—thin braided dough with cold syrup versus spiced, yeast-raised dough with hot syrup—cannot be captured by the presence or absence of coconut alone.

Made together to support schools and churches

In Afrikaner communities, selling koeksisters also helped raise funds for community activities. Carla van den Berg’s research records memories of mothers and grandmothers who made these labor-intensive sweets together and used the proceeds for schools, churches and similar causes. The confectionery monument in Orania is also presented as honoring the work of women.

The soft koesisters eaten at home on Sunday mornings and the braided koeksisters made to raise funds for community activities differ not only in their ingredients but also in who makes them and for what purpose.

A koeksister specialty shop photographed in Cape Town. A sign showing the confection’s name and braided shape is visible at the storefront. Photo: Discott, 2016-10-08, Cape Town, South Africa. Original image / CC BY-SA 4.0. Reduced-size version from the distributing source; no additional processing.

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