Twist in the tale: know your twisted sister from your koesister

The koeksister and the koesister are 'remarkably different', a new study has found.

University of Pretoria (UP) student Rudolph Boraine graduated cum laude with a bachelor of social science (Hons) degree in history, having completed a research report on the contested history of the well-loved South African confectionery.

Boraine’s honours research report titled The koeksister: A twisted history? interrogated the sweet treat’s “twisted historical origin” and compared the koeksister (with a “k”) of Dutch/Afrikaans origin to the koesister (without a “k”) of Cape Malay origin.

His research found that while the ingredients for both are fairly similar, the shape of the two items are remarkably different: the koeksister is plaited, while the koesister is oblong.

“Furthermore, the Afrikaans version is regarded primarily as a klein koekie (small cake) and is served as a confectionery item, while the Cape Malay version has multiple serving options, including as a sweet treat, breakfast item and during religious festivals.”

Using a comparative methodology, Boraine researched the origins of both versions of the koeksister using secondary sources, as well as recipe books as a form of primary research or alternate archive.

His comparison considered both the similarities and differences in nomenclature, geographic origins, ingredients, preparation processes, physical shapes, serving traditions as well as the community context of the two foods.

“This confectionery has a more contested, contentious and intertwined cultural history than commonly assumed by historians and the broader public,” Boraine said.

His supervisor, Prof Karen Harris, was impressed by the amount of research that Boraine undertook to develop an appropriate hypothesis and present a well-balanced discussion.

“He made excellent use of a range of sources and did extensive research using both academic and alternate sources to substantiate this contested history.”

The external examiner agreed, describing Boraine’s arguments as 'convincing'.

“The amount of work that the student has put into this research report is certainly commendable. A great strength was the range of sources consulted in assembling this work, which demonstrated an openness to combining the findings of significant mainstream historical scholarship with more popular and less conventional material.”

Twenty-five-year-old Boraine  — who lives with cerebral palsy, which affects the physical functioning of his entire body — graduated cum laude from UP for the second time.

In addition to his latest achievement, he was also part of the team that was awarded first prize in the History Honours Archive Research Project, which formed part of the course’s core modules.

He also received the award for the best second-year history student in 2019.

“It is an honour for me to graduate from this remarkable institution for the second time. My journey to graduation at honours level was challenging in the sense that I live with a disability. I needed to make a lot of adjustments, such as extending the time that I had at my disposal to write my research report as well as taking extra time to complete some assignments, as my typing accuracy and speed of communication are affected by my disability,” said Boraine.

He added he was given valuable support throughout his studies, from a facilitator who helped him to get around campus as well as from UP’s department of historical and heritage studies, through which he completed his honours degree.

“The staff were always accommodating, kind, compassionate and understanding. I realised that anything can be achieved with hard work, despite any physical challenges that you may have — if you remain an optimistic student with a clear set of goals, you can achieve anything.”

Boraine is furthering his studies in psychology.