Malva pudding

The primary ingredients are flour, sugar, milk or cream, baking soda, vinegar, and apricot jam. The ingredients are mixed using the creaming method into a batter and baked in a pan to create a cake. Holes are pricked into it, and while it is still hot a warm sauce or glaze made of butter, cream, and sugar is poured over it to seep into the cake through the holes. It is often garnished with slices of dried apricots, sometimes glazed or pickled. The pudding is typically served warm and often with custard or ice cream. It is served in many restaurants in South Africa. == Description ==

The dish is spongy and moist and is described as comforting. == Origin ==

The pudding is thought to be of Dutch or Cape Dutch origin and likely based on a similar pudding brought to the region by Dutch colonists in the mid-1600s; baking was not a part of the indigenous diet. According to Ko, the dish's "creation remains a mystery". == Etymology ==

There are various theories on the name, all of which are anecdotal. Malva is also Afrikaans for geranium (in the broad sense, including Pelargonium). Another botanical theory is that the batter was originally flavoured with the leaves of the lemon- or the rose-scented geranium, varieties of South African native plants. Another theory is that the sauce originally contained Malvasia (malmsey) wine. Proponents of this theory include brandy or sherry in the sauce. == Popularity ==

The dish is particularly popular in Afrikaans households and in general in Cape Town. The dessert was a favorite of Nelson Mandela and Henry Kissinger. == Similar dishes ==

Several very similar dishes exist in South African cuisine, including Jan Ellis pudding, which does not call for vinegar, and brown pudding, which is glazed with a sauce that does not include cream. ==See also==