What's the secret of South Africa's sweet treat koesisters?

DW (English)

For many South African locals, this fried dough is way better then doughnuts. Let's uncover some of the secrets of the koesister, a national delicacy that's deeply rooted in Cape Malay tradition.

Transcript

00:00Who needs doughnuts when the South Africans have kusisters?

00:04Kusisters are a deep-fried sweet dough topped with coconut.

00:08But is that the only secret that makes them so delicious?

00:13Let's take a closer look at these deep-fried balls,

00:15which originate from the Burkop region in Cape Town

00:18and are popular with Muslim communities across the country.

00:24So lovely, they're delicious, tasty.

00:27It's in our culture that we eat this.

00:29We enjoy them on a Sunday morning.

00:32Remind me of my granny, how she used to make it.

00:35The secret of Cape Malay doughnuts?

00:38Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

00:41You might think that's easy, right?

00:44Yola's been making these kusisters famous

00:47in the historic Johannesburg community of Fitas for over 10 years.

00:51The one day I just decided, let me start trying with my mummy.

00:56So together we made dough,

00:59and I wasn't happy with the dough, but we kept on trying.

01:03And then eventually I started making my own

01:09and started selling it.

01:13This sweet treat is made from dough balls with yeast and various spices.

01:18It is fried, dipped in syrup, then rolled in desiccated coconut.

01:23Who could ask for anything tastier?

01:26Let's see how it's made.

01:31In addition to the flour and yeast,

01:33kusisters generally contain cinnamon, aniseed, ginger and cardamom.

01:38Other recipes call for ground tangerine peel as well.

01:42These warm, traditional spices are a characteristic of Cape Malay cuisine.

01:47Some say it's like taking a bite out of Christmas.

01:53So I'm going to mix the spices with the cake flour.

01:59I'll be pouring some water

02:05just to make a dough.

02:07Now I'll be adding my oil.

02:19So this is the dough, it's ready now.

02:22So it's just going to be one side to rise.

02:25And then I've got another batch that I made earlier.

02:29So that one we're going to roll out and fry.

02:34I prefer cutting it because then the dough is much easier to handle

02:39and it will all be more or less the same size.

02:43Now that the dough balls are ready, it's time to deep fry them.

02:53Secret 2. These are now drenched in boiling syrup.

03:01Secret 3. Coconut

03:04The kusisters are ready to eat.

03:06But there's an even bigger secret.

03:10Secret 4. It has a sister.

03:13Now if that isn't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, there's more.

03:17Add an extra K in the word kusister and you get the kuksister.

03:22A crispier, stickier and even sweeter version of this treat.

03:26It looks a little different too.

03:28While the kusister is rolled in balls, the kuksister is formed into a plated shape.

03:37And while kusisters are cooled and then dipped in hot syrup,

03:40kuksisters are dunked straight from the pan into cold syrup.

03:44So ice-cold syrup is really a necessity when it comes to kuksisters.

03:48The crunch is what we live for.

03:50We're in Pretoria, a largely Afrikaans populated city.

03:53And where the Afrikaans are, so are kuksisters.

03:57While this even more syrupy friend can be traced back to 17th century Holland,

04:01the less sticky kusister was introduced to South Africa

04:04by Cape Malay slaves from Southeast Asia in the 17th and 18th centuries.

04:10While both words end with sister and refer to sweet, syrupy pastries,

04:14kuk translates to cake or cookie in Dutch.

04:18The term sister has been said to come from two sisters making this treat together.

04:23While the meaning of kusister hasn't entirely been determined,

04:26it has its origins in the Cape Malay language.

04:29From the Buakap region in Cape Town formerly known as the Cape Malay Quarter

04:33to here in Fitas, Johannesburg, South Africa,

04:36you'll find people enjoying kusisters fresh on a Sunday morning.

04:40Here, many of Yola's customers buy them by the dozen.

04:44There's even a World Kusister Day celebrated on the first Sunday in September.

04:50So, are you ready to get your hands sticky and taste these delectable treats?

04:55Well, when you do, take a moment to appreciate the cultural significance

04:59and the centuries-old journey that each bite carries.

05:03Which do you think you'll like the best?

05:06Let us know in the comments below.

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