Also Koeksisters, Cape Malay koeksisters, Koe'sisters
Soft, spiced, doughnut-like dumplings, fried, dipped in syrup and rolled in coconut — for Sunday morning.
What makes it koesisters
A yeasted dough with mashed potato and spices.
Fried, then briefly boiled or dipped in a thin syrup.
Rolled in desiccated coconut.
Where it comes from
The Cape Malay koesister is not the Afrikaner koeksister: it's soft, spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, aniseed and ginger, often made with potato in the dough, and rolled in desiccated coconut rather than plaited and plunged into cold syrup. The two share a name, probably from the Dutch for cake, and not much else.
In the Bo-Kaap and on the Cape Flats they're made on Saturday night and eaten on Sunday morning, and bought from neighbours who make them to sell.
How it varies
Afrikaner koeksisters
The plaited kind, crisp and dripping with cold syrup — a different sweet from a different kitchen.