I enjoy a few things with my braai, but the one thing that is always a winner is braaivleis with pap and a tomato and onion sauce. Many people are scared to make pap, but it is so easy to make and is always a hit with family and friends.
Mieliepap, a staple in South Africa, is a versatile corn-based dish enjoyed at nearly every braai. Comparable to polenta or grits, it’s made from maize meal and can be prepared in various forms: stywe pap (stiff), slap pap (soft), or krummel pap (crumbly), depending on the maize meal-to-water ratio. Each style is paired with different accompaniments, such as tomato-and-onion gravy or savoury paptert layered with bacon, cheese, and cream.
You can use any maize meal, but I find the coarse ground meal to be the best.
How is it made? Maize meal is produced by drying white maize kernels, removing the outer shell and heart, and grinding the rest into a coarse meal. It’s rich in fibre, protein, and essential vitamins like A, B, and zinc, making it both nutritious and filling.
Health benefits: Mieliepap is high in fibre and protein, but also carb-heavy. Allowing it to cool lowers its glycemic index, offering steady energy release.
Whether served savoury or sweet, mieliepap is a South African classic that no meal is complete without!
Ingredients
500g Iwiza Maize Meal
1 Liter Water
25g of Salt or salt to taste
Optional
100g Fresh Butter
Recipe
- Pour the water into a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Turn down the temperature to the lowest setting
- Add the butter, salt and maize meal.
- Stir in the maize meal, you will notice the consistency will become stiff.
- Let it cook slowly for at least 40 minutes and stir it every 10 minutes in a cut-like motion with a knife or metal fork.
Serve with
Serve it with your favourite tomato and onion sauce and enjoy it with your braaivleis.
As breakfast, with milk, butter, and sugar.
Transformed into vetkoek, cornbread, muffins, or even deep-fried chips.
Health benefits: Mieliepap is high in fibre and protein, but also carb-heavy. Allowing it to cool lowers its glycemic index, offering steady energy release.
Whether served savoury or sweet, mieliepap is a South African classic that no meal is complete without!
Pap and sauce are a staple in our house and something that we enjoy every week.