A traditional Cape favourite has received a distinctly South African makeover, with a young Cape Town chef using Rooibos to reimagine the beloved koesister.
The 2026 World Koesister Day Competition, held on September 6 at Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, challenged chefs and aspiring young cooks to reinterpret the traditional Cape Malay koesister using Rooibos as this year’s heritage ingredient.
The competition follows last year’s use of spekboom and forms part of an initiative aimed at introducing young culinary talent to indigenous South African ingredients while preserving the character and stories behind the koesister.
The winning creation came from 24-year-old Cape Town chef Huwitt Strydom, who incorporated Rooibos into the warm spices and sweetness traditionally associated with the koesister.
For Strydom, the ingredient was a natural fit. “Rooibos immediately felt like a natural ingredient to work with because it is proudly South African and has such a distinctive flavour,” he says.
“I wanted to use it in a way that complemented the spices and sweetness of the koesister rather than overpowering them.”
Rooibos, or Aspalathus linearis, is indigenous to South Africa and is cultivated primarily in the Cederberg region. The plant has become one of the country’s best-known agricultural products, with Rooibos enjoyed both locally and internationally.
ALSO READ: Rooibos reaches for the stars in trip to International Space Station
Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council, says the competition shows how familiar local ingredients can be given new life.
“Rooibos is one of those ingredients that is unmistakably South African, yet its versatility gives us so many ways to reinterpret how we use it. Seeing it paired with a traditional koesister during Heritage Month is a great example of how we can celebrate our food heritage while also giving familiar ingredients and traditions a fresh expression.”
It is worth noting that a koesister and a koeksister are not the same thing.
The koesister is the soft, spiced, doughnut-like pastry associated with Cape Malay cooking. It is fried, dipped in syrup and traditionally coated with coconut.
A koeksister, meanwhile, is a plaited pastry with a crisp texture that is soaked in syrup.
For Mark Jacobs, creator of World Koesister Day, Rooibos was a natural progression after spekboom was introduced to the competition last year.
“Rooibos is proudly South African, internationally recognised and already familiar in our homes. We wanted contestants to use it creatively while still respecting the traditional taste and character of the Cape koesister.”
Keeping a food tradition alive
World Koesister Day is about more than finding a winning recipe. The initiative celebrates the Malay community, its recipes and the stories that have helped keep the koesister alive, while creating opportunities for young participants to develop culinary and entrepreneurial skills.
“Heritage food does not have to remain in the past,” says Jacobs. “It can be respected, developed and presented in new ways.”
Strydom, who has worked in kitchens in Cape Town and France, says the competition challenged him to find the balance between innovation and tradition.
“Rooibos is one of those ingredients that can add depth without overpowering other flavours. I think it adds another layer of South African identity to the koesister,” he says.
“Our food heritage has a place in modern kitchens and there are still so many exciting stories and flavours for the next generation of chefs to explore.”
For him, the significance of the dish extends beyond the competition.
“Koesisters are so much more than just a sweet treat – they are connected to Cape Town, our history, our culture and memories shared around food.”
The second and third places went to Kiare Arendse and Amber Williams respectively, while Chelsea Hendricks represented False Bay College among the other finalists.
This year’s competition also marked a new collaboration with the Culinary & Service Professionals of South Africa (CSP-SA), weRproudly NPC and Makers Landing, bringing young culinary talent, heritage and the professional hospitality environment together.
The organisers intend to continue developing the initiative, creating opportunities for young people to do more than compete while giving heritage food and indigenous ingredients space to evolve within contemporary South African hospitality.
For Heritage Month, the Rooibos koesister is a reminder that some of the country’s most familiar ingredients and food traditions can still tell new stories.
ALSO READ: Rooibos’ curious mission to space a boost for STEM education
Try the winning Rooibos Heritage Koesister
Want to recreate Strydom’s winning creation? Here’s the recipe.
Koesister dough — 12 portions
Ingredients
- 500g cake flour
- 50g fine caster sugar
- 7g instant yeast
- 4g ground cinnamon
- 2g ground cardamom
- 3g ground ginger
- 1g ground aniseed
- 6g fine salt
- 220g whole milk
- 80g water
- 40g unsalted butter, melted
- 50g egg
- 3g vanilla
Method
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the milk, water, egg and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gradually incorporate the melted butter.
Knead for eight to 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest at 25–27°C for 60–75 minutes. Knock back the dough and divide it into 12 pieces of approximately 75g each. Shape into ovals and rest for 15 minutes.
Fry at 170–175°C until deeply golden, turning regularly. Drain on a rack.
Rooibos syrup
Ingredients
- 300g water
- 12g Rooibos
- 220g caster sugar
- 30g glucose
- 12g lemon juice
- 3g orange peel
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 crushed cardamom pods
Method
Steep the Rooibos in 300g of water at approximately 95°C for eight minutes, then strain.
Combine 250g of the Rooibos infusion with the sugar, glucose, orange peel, cinnamon and cardamom.
Simmer to 106–107°C.
Add the lemon juice, then strain and cool.
Brush lightly over the fried koesisters. Do not soak.
- A traditional Cape favourite has received a distinctly South African makeover, with a young Cape Town chef using Rooibos to reimagine the beloved koesister.
- The 2026 World Koesister Day Competition, held on September 6 at Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, challenged chefs and aspiring young cooks to reinterpret the traditional Cape Malay koesister using Rooibos as this year’s heritage ingredient.
- The competition follows last year’s use of spekboom and forms part of an initiative aimed at introducing young culinary talent to indigenous South African ingredients while preserving the character and stories behind the koesister.
- The winning creation came from 24-year-old Cape Town chef Huwitt Strydom, who incorporated Rooibos into the warm spices and sweetness traditionally associated with the koesister.
- For Strydom, the ingredient was a natural fit.
A traditional Cape favourite has received a distinctly South African makeover, with a young Cape Town chef using Rooibos to reimagine the beloved koesister.
The 2026 World Koesister Day Competition, held on September 6 at Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, challenged chefs and aspiring young cooks to reinterpret the traditional Cape Malay koesister using Rooibos as this year’s heritage ingredient.
The competition follows last year’s use of spekboom and forms part of an initiative aimed at introducing young culinary talent to indigenous South African ingredients while preserving the character and stories behind the koesister.
The winning creation came from 24-year-old Cape Town chef Huwitt Strydom, who incorporated Rooibos into the warm spices and sweetness traditionally associated with the koesister.
For Strydom, the ingredient was a natural fit. “Rooibos immediately felt like a natural ingredient to work with because it is proudly South African and has such a distinctive flavour,” he says.
“I wanted to use it in a way that complemented the spices and sweetness of the koesister rather than overpowering them.”
Rooibos, or Aspalathus linearis, is indigenous to South Africa and is cultivated primarily in the Cederberg region. The plant has become one of the country’s best-known agricultural products, with Rooibos enjoyed both locally and internationally.
ALSO READ: Rooibos reaches for the stars in trip to International Space Station
Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council, says the competition shows how familiar local ingredients can be given new life.
“Rooibos is one of those ingredients that is unmistakably South African, yet its versatility gives us so many ways to reinterpret how we use it. Seeing it paired with a traditional koesister during Heritage Month is a great example of how we can celebrate our food heritage while also giving familiar ingredients and traditions a fresh expression.”
It is worth noting that a koesister and a koeksister are not the same thing.
The koesister is the soft, spiced, doughnut-like pastry associated with Cape Malay cooking. It is fried, dipped in syrup and traditionally coated with coconut.
A koeksister, meanwhile, is a plaited pastry with a crisp texture that is soaked in syrup.
For Mark Jacobs, creator of World Koesister Day, Rooibos was a natural progression after spekboom was introduced to the competition last year.
“Rooibos is proudly South African, internationally recognised and already familiar in our homes. We wanted contestants to use it creatively while still respecting the traditional taste and character of the Cape koesister.”
World Koesister Day is about more than finding a winning recipe. The initiative celebrates the Malay community, its recipes and the stories that have helped keep the koesister alive, while creating opportunities for young participants to develop culinary and entrepreneurial skills.
“Heritage food does not have to remain in the past,” says Jacobs. “It can be respected, developed and presented in new ways.”
Strydom, who has worked in kitchens in Cape Town and France, says the competition challenged him to find the balance between innovation and tradition.
“Rooibos is one of those ingredients that can add depth without overpowering other flavours. I think it adds another layer of South African identity to the koesister,” he says.
“Our food heritage has a place in modern kitchens and there are still so many exciting stories and flavours for the next generation of chefs to explore.”
For him, the significance of the dish extends beyond the competition.
“Koesisters are so much more than just a sweet treat – they are connected to Cape Town, our history, our culture and memories shared around food.”
The second and third places went to Kiare Arendse and Amber Williams respectively, while Chelsea Hendricks represented False Bay College among the other finalists.
This year’s competition also marked a new collaboration with the Culinary & Service Professionals of South Africa (CSP-SA), weRproudly NPC and Makers Landing, bringing young culinary talent, heritage and the professional hospitality environment together.
The organisers intend to continue developing the initiative, creating opportunities for young people to do more than compete while giving heritage food and indigenous ingredients space to evolve within contemporary South African hospitality.
For Heritage Month, the Rooibos koesister is a reminder that some of the country’s most familiar ingredients and food traditions can still tell new stories.
ALSO READ: Rooibos’ curious mission to space a boost for STEM education
Want to recreate Strydom’s winning creation? Here’s the recipe.
Koesister dough — 12 portions
Ingredients
- 500g cake flour
- 50g fine caster sugar
- 7g instant yeast
- 4g ground cinnamon
- 2g ground cardamom
- 3g ground ginger
- 1g ground aniseed
- 6g fine salt
- 220g whole milk
- 80g water
- 40g unsalted butter, melted
- 50g egg
- 3g vanilla
Method
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the milk, water, egg and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gradually incorporate the melted butter.
Knead for eight to 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest at 25–27°C for 60–75 minutes. Knock back the dough and divide it into 12 pieces of approximately 75g each. Shape into ovals and rest for 15 minutes.
Fry at 170–175°C until deeply golden, turning regularly. Drain on a rack.
Rooibos syrup
Ingredients
- 300g water
- 12g Rooibos
- 220g caster sugar
- 30g glucose
- 12g lemon juice
- 3g orange peel
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 crushed cardamom pods
Method
Steep the Rooibos in 300g of water at approximately 95°C for eight minutes, then strain.
Combine 250g of the Rooibos infusion with the sugar, glucose, orange peel, cinnamon and cardamom.
Simmer to 106–107°C.
Add the lemon juice, then strain and cool.
Brush lightly over the fried koesisters. Do not soak.
