When I first arrived in South Africa I was completely unprepared for the local obsession with rusks. To my mind, and to most non-South Africans, a rusk is a dry, hard baby biscuit, designed to aid teething – not very appealing. Confused as to why everyone was eating baby biscuits, I soon discovered that rusks here are something altogether different. They are still slightly dry and hard, but they are all about comfort-snacking and dunking. Rusks are South Africa’s biscotti and to my mind nobody makes them better than my dear friend Gerry.
Always made with love, Gerry’s recipe strikes the right balance between comfort and decadence: this recipe is rusk perfection. Although traditionally served with hot coffee, these rusk are so good I can happily forgo the dunking altogether and eat them straight out of the tin!
As for South Africa’s obsession with rusks? Thanks to Gerry’s I get it now, I totally do.
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