Cape Town – With only a few days left until Christmas, many households around the continent (for those who observe the holiday or simply those who love eating sweet treats), are frantically preparing their menus to serve some of the finest, melt in your mouth treats on Christmas day.
We’ve taken the liberty to do some research on some of the most popular treats that Africans enjoy over the continent over the holidays.
Malawi – Sweet Potato Cookies
According to the website AfricanVibes.com, these cookies are not overly sweet. Rather, the sweet potato and raisins lend their natural sweetness to the cookies, giving them a beautiful flavour that is complemented by the cinnamon and touch of brown sugar, the food website wrote.
Kenya – Coupe Mount Kenya
Named after Kenya’s highest mountain and the second highest peak in Africa, Coupe Mount Kenya is basically mango ice cream covered with a zingy pineapple sauce. According to the website DemandAfrica.com, ingredients include heavy cream, sugar, pineapple, and lemons!
South Africa – Trifle
Although this decadent Christmas treat originates from the United Kingdom, South Africans have made it their own. This colourful South African favourite is available in a variety of versions, with many Saffa’s (A colloquial expression for a person from South Africa) following traditions passed down from their mothers and grandmothers.
I’m absolutely crazy about trifle, and I often spend my Christmas morning making trifle for my friends and family. I usually follow my mothers traditional trifle recipe, which consists of a layer of moist sponge cake, jelly (Apple and Strawberry, not too solid), a layer of custard, which is followed by a layer of fresh whipped cream. Repeat the layering process once more, and top with bits of flake (chocolate) and cherries.
Ghana – Accra Banana Peanut Cake
According to the website DemandAfrica.com, Ghana’s Accra Banana Peanut Cake is a dessert made with three of the most amazing dessert ingredients ever: peanuts, banana and caramel, making it wonderfully nutty, fruity and incredibly sweet. This sweet West African treat can be eaten warm with lots of whipped cream.
Kenya – African doughnuts
Mandazi (East African Doughnuts) is a spicy, airy yeast doughnut dough made with coconut milk, flavoured with cardamom and grated fresh coconut or coconut flakes. This treat is served as dessert or a warm tea time snack all over Kenya and East Africa.
African News Agency (ANA)