Pap

Ingredients

Stiff pap, stywepap

• 500 gwhite maize meal
• 1.2 litreswater
• 1 tspsalt

Crumbly pap, krummelpap

• 500 gwhite maize meal
• 400 mlwater
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspbutter or oil

Soft pap, slappap

• 300 gwhite maize meal
• 1.5 litreswater
• 1 tspsalt

To serve with stiff pap

• braaied meat
• boerewors
• chakalaka
• tomato and onion relish

To serve with soft pap

• sugar
• milk
• butter

Directions

1. Use a medium grind, sometimes sold as super maize meal. Making stiff pap is the most common version. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot. Add the salt to the boiling water. Pour the maize meal into the centre of the pot in a heap. Do not stir it at this stage at all.
2. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let it steam undisturbed for ten minutes. Stirring it is done after the steaming. Take the lid off after ten minutes. Stir it hard with a wooden spoon.
3. Break up the heap and work it into the water. It will come together into a thick mass. Cover it again and cook for another twenty minutes. Stir it every five minutes, scraping the bottom. Judging stiff pap tells you when to stop.
4. Add a splash of hot water if it has gone too stiff. Bring the much smaller quantity of water to the boil. Add the salt to the boiling water. Add the maize meal all at once and stir it in. It will form a stiff crumbly mass immediately. Cover it and steam it for twenty-five minutes. Take the lid off and add the butter. Work it with a fork rather than a spoon.
5. Break it up into crumbs as you go. It should end up loose and separate, like coarse couscous. Cover and steam it for another five minutes. Making soft pap is the simplest.
6. Mix a cupful of the maize meal with cold water into a slurry. Bring the rest of the water to the boil with the salt. Pour the slurry in while whisking hard. That slurry is what prevents lumps. Simmer it for twenty-five minutes, stirring often. It should be smooth and pourable.
7. Add more hot water to thin it as you like. Serving stiff pap follows the braai. Serve it in a mound beside grilled meat. Serving soft pap is done at breakfast. Pour it into warm bowls while hot. Add sugar, milk and a knob of butter. Leftover stiff pap is sliced and fried the next day, which is very good.

Technique

• The three versions differ only in the water to meal ratio.
• For stiff pap, heap the meal in the boiling water and steam it before stirring.
• For soft pap, make a cold slurry first, which is what prevents lumps.

Substitutions

• Any medium-grind white maize meal.
• Yellow maize meal, though it is not what is used in South Africa.

Variations

• Stywepap, stiff, eaten with a braai.
• Krummelpap, crumbly and dry.
• Slappap, soft, eaten with sugar and milk.

History

Stiff maize porridge eaten across the country; maize came with Portuguese traders and became the staple grain of Southern Africa.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pap?

Pap is a main from South Africa: maize porridge served stiff with braai or soft with sugar. Stiff maize porridge eaten across the country; maize came with Portuguese traders and became the staple grain of Southern Africa.

How long does Pap take to make?

Pap takes 5 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pap?

Yes, within limits. Any medium-grind white maize meal. Yellow maize meal, though it is not what is used in South Africa.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pap?

Use a medium grind, sometimes sold as super maize meal. Making stiff pap is the most common version. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot. Add the salt to the boiling water. Pour the maize meal into the centre of the pot in a heap. Do not stir it at this stage at all.