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African desserts often feature fruits, with South African desserts influenced by Dutch and Portuguese cuisines, and North African desserts using dried fruits and nuts. European settlers have also influenced African desserts, with dishes such as milk tart and koeksisters. Some less common desserts include sweet bean dishes and a cinnamon coconut candy called kashata na nazi.
There are a variety of African desserts, some influenced by foreign cultures settling on the continent and others based on ingredients that are naturally available in the area. By far, fruits are the most popular and widespread type of African dessert, whether served in a raw salad, grilled, baked, or incorporated into another dish. South African desserts are sometimes influenced by Dutch and Portuguese cuisines, so tarts, cakes and biscuits are popular, although the ingredients may be different from those found in their European counterparts. North African desserts often involve dried fruits and nuts in porridge or milk-based drinks or fruit juices. Some areas, such as Morocco, have a more varied and complex dessert menu derived from centuries of trade with surrounding countries.
Fruit is one of the most used ingredients in African desserts. Pineapples, bananas, mangoes, papayas and coconuts are all commonly chopped and mixed into a refreshing salad that can serve on its own. The fruit salad can also be served with homemade yoghurt or cream and spices such as cardamom. Sweeteners that are often used include honey, brown sugar and beet sugar.
In areas of North Africa, the fruits used are often dried so that they can be stored for a longer period of time and to concentrate their flavors and sweetness. Nuts can be added to fresh milk with simple syrup to make a refreshing dessert drink. They can also be mixed with couscous or tapioca pearls to create a porridge known as caakiri which is drizzled with honey just before being served. A baked cornmeal cookie called kanyah can also be mixed and baked with dried fruits.
The influence of European settlers on African desserts can be seen with dishes such as melktert or milk tart. This is an egg and milk based custard that is baked to form a light dessert with a strong milky flavor. Koeksisters are an invention of Dutch settlers and are a type of sweet bread that is braided into individual pieces and covered in a ginger flavored sweet syrup.
Some dishes that are less common include a sweet dessert made from beans mixed with dried fruit. Cinnamon, salt, sugar and coconut can be heated to form a sweet candy called kashata na nazi. There are even African desserts that don’t require cooking at all; for example, the practice of chewing sugar cane as a more casual type of dessert is popular.
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