Historical Recipes

The following recipes were named after South African historical events and people and should be preserved for future generations as part of our Heritage. If anyone can add to this list or comment on the origin of the recipes, I will gladly add your comments to this page....

This part of the site started as a result of a request for Nasionale Pudding, and after some searching came across these gems...
Our Generals seemed to have loved their food, I see a lot of them have cakes or cookies named after them:-)

If you have any background on how the recipes came to be named, please email me, I will add your comments to the recipe.

For ages now mankind has been creating new food recipes and sharing them with the rest of the world. There are several South Africans who are now living in Mexico educating Central America on the history and beauty of South
Africa . Others book rooms and go on a Mexico vacation, sharing their own stories and delicious South African recipes.

Nasionale Poeding
Depressie Poeding
Afrikanerbond Poeding
Paul Kruger Cake
President Steyn Cake
Outydse Stormjaers
General Smuts Cookies
Hertzog Cookies
Oorlog-poeding (War Pudding)
Queen Mary Pudding
Botha Pudding
Voortrekker Pudding
De Preez Speculaas
Jan Smuts (Dessert)

International Foods
Central American Restaurants in South Africa

Central American Resort and Restraurant

Puerto Vallarta hotels

Central American International Food


 

Nasionale Poeding (National Pudding)
Not sure where the name originated from, probably from the national festivals we used to celebrate...

2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter

Sift flour and baking powder and rub butter in.. Mix with well beaten egg and a little water. Roll out and spread apricot jam on, then roll up again.

Syrup - make with

2 cups sugar
3 cups boiling water
1 dessertspoon butter
1 teaspoon flavoring

Pour syrup in long ovenproof dish, place dough in and bake for 1 hour at 350ºF

Depressie Poeding (Depression Pudding)
I seem to remember reading of the Great Depression way back in 1918?? The historians can correct me, please. 

25ml butter
30ml apricot jam
62.5ml sugar
10ml bicarbonate of soda
25ml vinegar
300g cake flour
2ml salt
375ml milk

Melt butter and place with apricot jam and sugar in mixing bowl and mix well. Dissolve bicarb of soda in vinegar and add to butter mixture. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients together well and add to mixture, alternating with adding milk and mix well. Ladle into greased ovenproof dish with prepared syrup (below). Bake at 180ºC till golden brown and done.

Syrup
1.25 litre water
300g brown sugar
2ml ground cinnamon

Heat all ingredients together over low heat till sugar is dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes and cool.

Afrikanerbond Poeding (can anyone help with translation and some background?)

50ml soft butter
200g sugar
1 egg
240g cake flour
10ml baking powder
2.5ml salt
250ml milk
5 ml vanilla essence

Mix butter and sugar well. Add egg and mix. Sift dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Mix well. Add vanilla essence. Ladle into greased ringform and bake for 45-50 minutes at 190ºC. Serve with wine sauce, custard or cream.

Paul Kruger Cake
Possibly a favourite of Oom Paul?
Ingredients can be halved and be sufficient for two cake pans.

500g butter
500g brown sugar
10 eggs, separated
750g cake flour
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
8ml mace of nutmeg
5ml mixed spices
300ml brandy
2ml almond flavoring
500g currants
250g mixed peel

Mix butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add egg yolks separately and mix well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients together twice. Add almond flavoring to brandy and add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternating with brandy. Shake currants and peel together with some flour in a plastic bag and add to mixture. Mix well. Ladle into two lined, round, 250mm cake pans , and sprinkle some milk on the top to prevent cracking of the crust. Bake for 2 1/2 hours at 180ºC. Place a round piece of brown paper on top of each cake after 1 hour.

President Steyn Cake
OK, so why was this named after him? Does anyone know?

240g butter
180g castor sugar
3 eggs, separated
30g flaked almonds
30g candied orange peel
120g sultanas
120g seedless raisins
5ml baking powder
240g cake flour
pinch of salt

Meringue
1 eggwhite
62.5ml sugar
pinch of salt
1ml almond flavoring
40g coconut
75g flaked almonds

Whisk eggwhite till stiff, add sugar , salt and flavoring gradually. Fold in coconut and almonds. 


Mix butter and castor sugar till creamy. Beat egg yolks well. Add to butter mixture and mix well. Whisk egg whites till stiff and set aside. Mix almonds, peel, sultanas and raisins and set aside. Sift together dry in gredients and add to butter mixture. Add the fruit and mix well. Fold in the egg whites and mix. Ladle half the batter into a greased, round, 250mm cake pan. Spread meringue layer on top and add the rest of the batter. Bake at 190ºC for about 75 minutes. 

Outydse Stormjaers (Stormtroopers)
Variation on vetkoek, originally deep fried in fat.
Possibly originating from the Anglo-Boer wars round 1900..

300g cake flour
15ml baking powder
5ml salt
5ml fine ginger
3 eggs
200g brown sugar
375ml milk or curdled milk
300g seedless raisins
5ml vanilla essence
oil for deep frying
100g brown sugar mixed with 10ml cinnamon

Sift cake flour, baking powder, salt and ginger together and set aside. Whisk eggs with 200g sugar, add milk and whisk again. Add dry ingredients gradually and mix well. Add raisins and flavoring. Ladle spoonfulls of the batter into heated oil and deep fry. Drain well and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Can be served warm or cold.

General Smuts Cookies

360g cake flour
10ml baking powder
pinch of salt
250g butter
2 eggs
smooth apricot jam

Upper layer
50ml butter
50ml sugar
2 eggs, beaten
50ml cake flour
5ml baking powder
50g dessicated coconut

Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together well. Rub in butter with fingers till mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten eggs. Mix till stiff dough. Roll the dough out to 5 mm thick on a floured surface and cut into rounds with a pastry cutter. Line greased patty tins with the rounds of pastry. Put some apricot jam in each.
Prepare the upper layer. Beat butter and sugar till creamy. Add beaten eggs ans mix, sift cake flour and baking powder together and add with coconut to egg mixture, mixing continuously. Ladle spoonsful of the mixture on top of the apricot jam and bake in preheated oven at 180ºC for 20-25 minutes. 

Hertzog Cookies
It is said that General Hertzog was so fond of these cookies that they were given his name.
(Makes 60)

500 g self raising flour 
50 ml (4 tbs) sugar 
25 ml (2 tbs) margarine 
3 egg yolks milk or water 
5 ml vanilla essence 
1 ml (¼ tsp) salt 

Filling: 
Apricot jam 
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten 
250 ml (1 cup) sugar 
500 ml (2 cups) desiccated coconut 

1. Cream the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy.
2. Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla essence, blending well.
3. Sift the flour and salt into the mixture, blending well, then stir in a little milk or water to form a fairly stiff dough.
4. Roll the dough out to 5 mm thick on a floured surface and cut into rounds with a pastry cutter. Line greased patty tins with the rounds of pastry.
5. Make the filling. Gradually add the sugar to the beaten egg whites, beating well to blend.
6. Fold in the coconut and mix well.
7. Place a little apricot jam in the centre of the rounds in the patties and spoon some of the coconut mixture over the jam.
8. Bake in the oven at 200°C (400°F) until the pastry is lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cook slightly in the patty tin, then cool completely on a wire rack. 

Oorlog-poeding (War Pudding)
Originated during the First World War

30ml tapioca
250ml milk
5ml bicarbonate of soda
62.5ml water
500ml bread crumbs
200g sugar
150g dates or raisins
15ml butter

Soak tapioca overnight in milk. Mix bicarbonate of soda with water and add all ingredients together, then pour into a greased ovenproof dish. Bake at 180ºC about 30-45 minutes. Serve with custard.

Queen Mary Pudding
When South Africa was part of the British Empire and George V reigned, this pudding was named after his wife, Queen Mary.

125g butter
250g cake flour
60ml golden syrup
2 eggs, beaten
60ml milk
5ml baking powder
1ml salt

Rub butter into flour. Add syrup, eggs and milk and then baking powder and salt. Beat mixture for a few minutes. Grease a dish and pour mixture in, steam for 55 minutes. Serve with golden syrup.

The following 3 recipes were kindly sent to me by Sarah Fulguirinas, all the way from New Zealand!

Botha Pudding

2 cups flour 
4 ozs butter 
1 cup sugar 
4 eggs 
1/4 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda or baking powder
1/2 lb seeded raisins 
strips of citron peel (orange peel)

Beat sugar and butter thoroughly to a cream, then gradually add flour,
sifted with soda and salt, alternately with well-beaten eggs and a
little milk, if necessary. Lastly, add chopped raisins, pour into a
well-greased mould that has been decorated with strips of citron peel.
Steam for 3 hours and serve with a Sweet White Sauce or custard.
Important warning. At high altitudes all measures must be level,
particularly the Baking powder while at sea level the measures must be
slightly rounded or an extra teaspoonful used otherwise the cake will be heavy and of a close texture, owing to the "high pressure" In another book it says use half as much baking powder as it calls form at sea level viz 2 teaspoons baking powder should be 3 at sea level.

Voortrekker Pudding

1/2lb margarine 
2 eggs 
4 tablespoons Apricot Jam
2 cups flour 
1 cup milk 
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 cups sugar 
3 cups boiling water 
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Place sugar in deep (baking) pan, add boiling water and stir
until sugar is dissolved. Cream margarine and jam, add flour, baking
powder and ginger (sifted together) alternatively with beaten eggs. 
Lastly add bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a little milk. Add last of
milk. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in the syrup. Bake in a moderate
oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) until dark brown. This is a self-saucing
pudding but if wish can serve with custard or cream.

De Preez Speculaas

2lb flour 
1 and 1/2 lb yellow (brown) sugar 
1lb butter
1/2 lb chopped almonds 
2 eggs 
1 dessertspoon soda (bicarbonate or baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves 
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon mixed spice 
3/4 cup port wine 
2 teaspoons salt

Rub butter into flour with the finger tips until fine like breadcrumbs,
add the rest of the dry ingredients excepting soda, and mix well. Make
a hollow in the centre, pour in the wine mixed with soda. Form into a
smooth dough and leave overnight in a cool place, then roll out and cut
into shapes. Bake about 20 minutes in a moderate oven of 
350 degrees F.

JAN SMUTS (Dessert) Submitted by Valda

Jan Smuts, dining with my grandfather, enjoyed this dessert so much that he insisted on personally extending his compliments to the cook, who thereafter named it "Jan Smuts".
 
 1 tin (410g) evaporated milk
 1 cup (250 ml) orange juice
 125ml sugar adjusted to taste
 3 tablespoons gelatine powder
 1 tablespoon hot water
 
Dissolve gelatine in hot water and mix carefully with orange juice. Whip up evaporated milk until light and fluffy. Slowly add orange juice mixture. Refrigerate for at least two hours until set.