Koeksisters

The trick of a koeksister is temperature. The plait of yeasted or baking-powder dough goes into hot oil, comes out browned, and is plunged immediately into syrup that has been refrigerated until it is barely above freezing - the shock drives syrup into the dough while the shell stays crisp, and the result crunches and then floods. Making them properly requires two people and a lot of syrup, which is why they are made in batches for church and school fundraising sales rather than at home for two. They keep well and are usually sold cold, often from freezers. The Afrikaans koeksister should not be confused with the Cape Malay koesister, which is a quite different thing: a spiced, doughy, cardamom-scented ball rolled in coconut. Both are excellent and people are firm about which one they mean.

What you actually see

• The temperature shock - hot from the oil straight into near-freezing syrup.
• The plait - three strands twisted before frying.
• Crisp then flooding - a hard shell over a syrup-soaked inside.
• Not the koesister - the Cape Malay version is spiced, doughy and coconut-rolled.

When to go

All year. An hour. Church and school sales on Saturday mornings have the best.

Honest expectations

They are extremely sweet - one is enough for most people. Commercial versions are often soggy rather than crisp. They are messy to eat and drip. Freezer-sold koeksisters need thawing and lose their crunch.

Nearby

Farm stalls on the national roads; bakeries in every town.