| Koeksister | |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Region: | South Africa |
| Course: | Dessert |
| Type: | Pastry |
| Main Ingredient: | Dough, sugar syrup |
A koeksister (; in Afrikaans ˈkukˌsəs.tər/)[1] is a traditional Afrikaner confectionery made of fried dough infused in syrup or honey. There is also a Cape Malay version of the dish,[2] which is a fried ball of dough that is rolled in desiccated coconut called a koesister.[3] The name derives from the Dutch word "koek", which generally means a wheat flour confectionery.
Koeksisters are prepared by frying plaited dough strips in oil, then submersing the hot fried dough into ice cold sugar syrup. Koeksisters have a golden crunchy crust and liquid syrup centre, are very sticky and sweet, and taste like honey.[4]
A monument of a koeksister in the Afrikaner community of Orania alludes to the Afrikaner tradition of baking them to raise funds for the building of churches and schools.[5]