Rooibos adds a South African twist to a heritage favourite
As South Africa celebrates Heritage Month, one of the country’s best-known indigenous ingredients has found a new place in a much-loved Cape tradition.
The 2026 World Koesister Day Competition, held on 6 September 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.
It follows the use of spekboom in last year’s competition and builds on the simple idea behind the reimagined World Koesister Day, introducing young culinary talent to indigenous South African ingredients while preserving the character and story of the koesister.
The winning creation came from 24-year-old Cape Town chef Huwitt Strydom, who worked Rooibos into the warm spices and sweetness traditionally associated with the koesister.
The pairing brings together two distinctly South African food stories. Rooibos, the indigenous plant Aspalathus linearis, is cultivated primarily in the Cederberg region and has become one of South Africa’s best-known agricultural products, enjoyed locally and internationally.
Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council, says the competition demonstrates how familiar South African ingredients can find new expression.
“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’s worth clarifying the difference, given the similar names. A 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, on the other hand, 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 following the introduction of spekboom the previous year.
“Rooibos is proudly South African, internationally recognised and already familiar in our homes,” says Jacobs. “We wanted contestants to use it creatively while still respecting the traditional taste and character of the Cape koesister.”
World Koesister Day, however, has always been about more than finding a winning recipe. The initiative celebrates the Malay community, its recipes and the stories that have kept the koesister alive, while creating space for young participants to develop their 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.”
For Strydom, that balance between innovation and tradition became the real challenge.
“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.”
He says the experience also showed how versatile Rooibos can be in the kitchen.
“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. 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.”
Strydom, who has worked in kitchens in Cape Town and France, says winning was particularly meaningful because of what the koesister represents.
“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 competition's second and third places went to Kiare Arendse and Amber Williams, respectively, with Chelsea Hendricks representing False Bay College among the other finalists.
This year’s competition also marked a new chapter through 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 into the same space.
It is a direction World Koesister Day intends to continue developing – allowing young people to do more than compete for a day, while creating opportunities for heritage food and indigenous ingredients to keep finding their place in contemporary South African hospitality.
For Heritage Month, the Rooibos koesister offers a fitting reminder that some of South Africa’s most familiar ingredients and traditions still have plenty of room for reinvention.
Want to try the winning creation for yourself? Here’s Strydom’s Rooibos Heritage Koesister recipe.
