Melktert

Melktert is a milk tart, and the emphasis is on the milk: the filling has a far higher proportion of milk to egg than a European custard tart, thickened with flour or cornflour rather than relying on eggs alone, which makes it lighter, wobblier and paler, closer to a set milk pudding in a shell than to a custard. It is flavoured with a stick of cinnamon or a bay leaf infused into the milk and finished with ground cinnamon scattered over the top, usually in a pattern. The crust may be shortcrust, puff pastry or crushed biscuit depending on the household. It descends from Dutch seventeenth-century custard tarts brought to the Cape and has been made here so long that it has its own national day. It is served cold or at room temperature, never hot, and is eaten with tea rather than as a restaurant dessert.

What you actually see

• Milk over egg - a lighter, paler, wobblier filling than a custard tart.
• Cinnamon on top - ground and scattered, usually in a pattern.
• Varied crusts - shortcrust, puff pastry or crushed biscuit by household.
• A tea-table cake - eaten cold with tea, not as a restaurant dessert.

When to go

All year. An hour. Farm stalls and church sales are more reliable than supermarkets.

Honest expectations

Commercial versions are often over-thickened and rubbery. It is mild - people expecting a rich custard find it plain. It does not keep well and is best on the day. Slices are large and very filling.

Nearby

Farm stalls on any national road; bakeries in every town.