A Hertzoggie , also known in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

as a Hertzogkoekie or in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as a Hertzog Cookie, is a jam-filled

tartlet A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with ...

or cookie with a coconut topping commonly served on a cup-like pastry base. The cookie is a popular dessert in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

where it is often eaten with a cup of English tea. In the Cape-Malay community the dessert is often eaten during Eid. It is often baked at home as part of a dessert-baking cottage industry in the country and sold alongside other popular South African desserts such as

Koeksister A koeksister is a traditional Afrikaner confectionery made of fried dough infused in syrup or honey. There is also a Cape Malay version of the dish, which is a fried ball of dough that is rolled in desiccated coconut called a koesister. The ...

History

The tartlet is named after the early 20th century South African politician, Prime Minister (1924–1939) and

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

General

J. B. M. Hertzog General James Barry Munnik Hertzog (3 April 1866 – 21 November 1942), better known as Barry Hertzog or J. B. M. Hertzog, was a South African politician and soldier. He was a Boer general during the Second Boer War who serve ...

. The Hertzogkoekies are thought to have been a favourite of his. Hertzog's supporters were known to have baked, served and sold them to show their political support. One story of the origin of the dessert states that it was invented by the Cape-Malay community to demonstrate their support for Hertzog after he promised to give women the vote and equal rights to the coloured community in the 1920s. After fulfilling the first promise to give women the vote in 1930, but not the second, the community began baking the cookies with a brown and pink icing called "''twee gevreetjie''" (Afrikaans for "

hypocrite Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is the ...

"), showing their dissatisfaction with him. Another possible source of the dessert's origin is the Afrikaans practice following the Second Anglo-Boer War to name confections after national heroes.

Composition

Hertzogkoekies are prepared from a pastry base with an open top that is filled with

apricot jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

. It is topped with a desiccated or grated coconut

meringue Meringue (, ; ) is a type of dessert or candy, often associated with Swiss, French, Polish and Italian cuisines, traditionally made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or cream o ...

topping and baked.

Jan Smuts cookies

The Hertzogkoekie inspired supporters of Hertzog's political rival and contemporary

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

to bake a version of their own called "Jan Smuts cookies". This confection also became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Jan Smuts cookies have a creamed butter and sugar topping instead of the paler meringue topping of the Hertzogkoekie.

References

{{South African cuisine, state=expanded Cookies South African cuisine South African inventions South African snack foods South African confectionery Foods with jam

History

Composition

Jan Smuts cookies

See also

References