For hundreds of years, rusks have been a favourite tea-time snack, especially in South Africa. Introduced as beschuit by the Dutch in the late 17th century, rusks were at first a convenient and tasty food that travelled well and did not spoil easily. It’s little wonder that the original unsweetened versions had sustained the seafarers of old and Voortrekkers on their journeys to escape colonialism. 

Until the 1930s, rusks remained popular, mostly among the Afrikaner community. It was during the Great Depression that an entrepreneurial woman, Elizabeth Ann Greyvensteyn from Molteno in the Eastern Cape started a rusk business in response to a call by the town’s pastor, for women to help the household make some money. 

And so, Ouma Rusks was born, which triggered the commercialisation of buttermilk rusks. To this day, the company Ouma Rusks is Molteno’s most significant industry, employing hundreds of locals. 

Unsurprisingly, the original recipe has evolved over the years, to meet the requirements of a modern production of a rusk that is sought-after by South Africans the world over. 

Time has left quite an imprint on the original homemade indulgence’s ingredients and taste. 

A quick gander at the label of Ouma Rusks reveals that the Buttermilk Rusks is now highly processed, containing wheat flour, sugar (the second ingredient, revealing its high sugar content), vegetable fat (palm fruit and TBHQ, an antioxidant), raising agent, buttermilk powder, salt and “flavourings”. Per serving, that equates to 2.9g of sugar and 2.2g of total fat.

And the more contemporary version, the Chunky Muesli Rusks, has wheat flour, muesli, wheat bran, roasted peanuts, coconut, sugar, vegetable fat (including palm fruit and TBHQ, an antioxidant), raising agents, flavourings and salt.

Woolworths, on the other hand, produces a more “homey” muesli rusk. It says the Homestyle Muesli Rusks are produced in the Boland from stone ground flour, badger-friendly honey, buttermilk and free-range eggs. It’s a bit more pricey (a 450g packet is R68 as opposed to R48 for Ouma at Makro) but the quality difference is marked: these have a real home-style taste, look and texture. 

Rusks are also effortlessly easy to make at home. If you’ve never made rusks before, you should give it a whirl. 

I spent most of my school life at boarding school and my mother, knowing how terrible the food would be, always packed “tuck” that would last us an entire school term, and then some. 

Her recipe is wonderfully simple and nutritious — it just takes a little time. 

Healthy muesli rusks

Ingredients: 

6 cups of cake flour (or a mixture of cake and whole-wheat flour)

10 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup light brown sugar

3 eggs

3 cups All Bran flakes

500ml buttermilk, maas or yoghurt (if you have none of these, sour milk by adding some lemon juice)

350ml butter, molten (or margarine, if you don’t want a very buttery flavour)

200ml oil (canola or sunflower oil)

125ml sunflower seeds (or mixed) 

30ml vanilla extract

Method: 

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease a deep baking tray.

In a very large bowl, combine all your dry ingredients and mix well. 

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add the oil and buttermilk, and mix well.

Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in all your liquid, mix with a spoon until all very well combined.

Spread the mixture into your baking tray (with sides) and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown.

Cool, tip out from the baking tray and slice your rusks as long and as thick as you like. 

Turn down the oven temperature to about 60°C.

Place the rusks back in the oven, on the racks, with a little “breathing room”, or if you have a roomy warming drawer, and leave overnight with the door slightly ajar (wedge a piece of cardboard in the door to allow steam to escape). 

The following morning, turn off the oven but leave the door closed for a few hours. The rusks should be ready to rock by the late afternoon. DM