Mielie Pap: A South African Staple Food

Nov 07, 2025 0

There is not one South African that doesn’t know a thing or two about mieliepap. Mieliepap is eaten all over the world in some form or another. Italians have polenta, Americans have grits, but South Africans have taken this traditional corn staple to a whole new level. Mielie Meal is a staple food in South Africa. It is white in color and it’s very similar to polenta.

If you follow my blog, you would’ve seen my post about Maize Rice. In that post I’ve described how maize rice is being produced. The process for maize meal (to make mieliepap) is very similar: white corn (maize) cobs are grown in a corn field. The corn cobs from the outside looks very similar to your average sweet corn, however, when you peel back the husk and silk you’ll find that the kernels are much bigger than those of sweet corn and it is white in colour. It is not very pleasant to eat raw as it is very starchy and not sweet. Once these ears of corn are ripe, it is left in the field to dry in the sun until the moisture content is 12.5% or less. This is then harvested, stripped off the cob and taken to a silo for storage until it is needed or sold to a mill.

When it is ready to be milled, the maize kernels are crushed where the outer shell and heart of each kernel is removed. The shell and heart is repurposed as either animal feed (shell) or cornflour (heart) and the rest of the maize kernel is ground until a course meal is formed. It is called meal since it is much coarser than flour and will need a lot more water to rehydrate than flour would.

There are so many different uses for maize meal, but the most common way to prepare it is for mieliepap: a white, bland, porridge-like staple food and, depending on the occasion, there are as many pap recipes as there are people in South Africa! Each having their own way or their own take on what a great scoop of pap should look like.

The only difference between these three types of pap is the maize meal to water ratio.

Types of Mielie Pap

Stywe pap (literally translated as stiff porridge) is usually eaten with braaivleis (bbq’ed meat) and has a tomato and onion gravy (sous) over the top. Sometimes we also add sweet corn kernels to the pap for a lovely variation and to add some texture.
Slap pap (literally translated as runny porridge) is usually eaten at breakfast with butter, milk and sugar. Slap pap can also be used when making paptert (a savoury pie layered with pap, bacon, mushrooms, cream and cheese)
Krummel pap (literally translated as crumbly porridge) is also known as Phutu Pap. It is a lovely all rounder and takes some skill to make! Krummel pap can be enjoyed either at breakfast or at dinner and is not as heavy as the other two.

How to make Mielie Pap

Definitely! Since it is made from corn you will find it contains vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B9, along with zinc, magnesium and a whole host of other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in fibre and protein which makes it not only versatile, but nutritious as well.

My father always scoops out his portion of pap to allow it to go completely cold before he eats it. We’ve always teased him about it as it is fairly strange - pap should be eaten hot! Although, recent scientific research has shown that by allowing the pap to cool before eating it lowers the glycemic index of the pap which means the glucose is released at a slower rate into your bloodstream which not only will keep you fuller for longer, it will also help to keep your blood sugar levels more steady.

The most popular way to eat mieliepap in South Africa is as part of your main meal along with braaivleis (bbq’ed meat) and with a sauce made from onions, tomatoes and spices. Depending on your family traditions this sauce can either be very simple consisting of only tomatoes and onions (tamatie-en-uie-smoor) or it can be complex and hearty (Chakalaka) where it consist of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, chilli and beans. In our home we have a bit of a hybrid between the two sauces.

Here, the pap and sheba are served in the traditional way with boerewors, or fresh South African sausage. Bratwurst makes a passable substitute. Five pounds should also serve at least 10 people, especially if there's plenty more to eat.

Read also: Discover Thula Thula

Krummel pap: Bring the water to a boil and add in the salt. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting.Pour the maize meal in the centre of the pot so it forms a little heap. Close the lid immediately.Let the pap steam for twenty minutes.After twenty minutes cut the meal with a knife or two-pronged meat fork to form a crumb-like texture. This is a classic South African braai, or grill, dish. Mealie pap, also known as mielie meal, is a corn-based porridge similar to polenta. It's made with maize meal, which can be purchased at groceries that supply South African food. You can also use stone-ground grits; white grits are best. The result is a side dish perfect for soaking up meat juices.

This recipe should turn out a couple of quarts of sheba sauce - enough for an astounding 36 servings, Pretorius said. That makes it perfect for a large braai crowd. If you're not bringing it to a braai, feel free to scale it down. But it also keeps well, jarred, in the fridge for weeks.

Mielie Pap and Sheba Recipe

The sheba sauce comes from South African Delene Cloete, who passed the method on to her daughter Kobie Pretorius, who lives in Nashville. The sweet-tart, tomato-based sauce is typically served over pap. Here is a recipe for mielie pap and sheba sauce:

Ingredients:

For the pap:

2 1/2 cups corn maize or coarse cornmeal
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons salted butter

For the sheba:

4 pounds tomatoes, quartered
1 pound sweet yellow onions, sliced
3 cups light brown sugar
2 tablespoons powdered mustard
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
2 tablespoons corn starch
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups white vinegar

For the sausage:

5 pounds boerewors or adequate substitute

Instructions:

Make the pap:

Bring the water and the tablespoon of salt to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
Add the maize or grits slowly, stirring all the while, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low, add the butter and stir.
Cover the pot and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the grits continue to steam.
Check consistency after one hour.
Fluff with a fork.

Make the sheba:

Softly simmer tomatoes and onions together on very low heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Do not scorch. The original recipe does not call for adding fat or oil of any sort, but you may if it helps prevent sticking.
In a small, separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, mustard, curry, salt and pepper.
Stir in the vinegar to form a paste.
Slowly pour the paste into the tomatoes and onions and stir continuously as the sheba thickens.

This Creamy Breakfast Mieliepap recipe, also known as maize meal porridge is the South African version of creamy polenta porridge, cornmeal porridge or creamy breakfast grits. As a child (before internet) I had often heard terms on television like southern grits, hushpuppy, cheese grits, breakfast grits, the best grits recipe or how to make grits.

Mealie meal is made from dried white maize originally brought to Africa from South America by the Portuguese. Polenta is made from a variety of corn with a hard starchy center found in Italy.

Read also: Traditional South African Bread

My first taste of mieliepap was during a childhood summer vacation when we visited my parents’ friends in the city of Mafikeng (now Mahikeng), in the North West province. It was cooked in a savory crumbly style and known as phuthu (krimmelpap), and served with braaied meat and tomato sauce.

I have memories of my mother getting up an hour or so before suhoor to start preparing our first meal for the day of fasting. As children, our favorite suhoor meal was snackwiches… toasted sandwiches with cheese, chicken or meat leftover from the previous night’s dinner.

Some years ago I stayed over at a small guesthouse in Caledon during Ramadhan. The guest house owner, Aunty Betty, insisted on waking up early to make me her cooked Creamy Breakfast Mieliepap recipe for me on the first day. I found that I fasted for most of the day without feeling the tiredness and lack of energy that usually befalls a fasting person, especially during the summer months. I hope that you will enjoy the Creamy Breakfast Mieliepap recipe with blackberry compote, fresh berries for suhoor or breakfast, as much as I do. Use stone ground, preferably organic non-GMO mielie meal for the best result.

Creamy Breakfast Mieliepap Recipe

Ingredients

Maize flour or fine maize meal
Water
Cinnamon stick and cardamom pods
Salt
Butter
Milk

Instructions

Place the maize flour or fine maize meal and water into a small saucepan. I prefer the Iwisa Creamy maize flour as it has a smoother finer consistency for porridge.
Add the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to the maize slurry.
Turn on the heat to low and allow the water to come slowly to simmer.
Stir occasionally to ensure that the it doesn't form one big clump and increase the heat after 5 minutes. (10 minutes if you are using the fine maize meal as it takes longer to cook than the maize flour).
Add the salt.
When the slurry begins to simmer vigorously whisk or stir continuously and add the butter and milk. If you like a thinner consistency, add an additional 125 ml of milk if you are using the fine maize meal.
Be careful as the mixture may begin to splutter at this point.
Cook the maize flour mixture for 8-10 minutes on low, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping.

Dit is so lekker (translation.. Mielie Meal is a staple food in South Africa. It is white in color and it’s very similar to polenta. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the mielie meal and mix together well with a wooden spoon. (The consistency you get the pap will not change with cooking. Reduce the heat to medium/low. Cover securely with a lid and simmer. Open the pot and stir occasionally during the cooking and reseal. Heat the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Cook the onions with the chilli flakes and coriander until golden brown (8 minutes). Cook for 30 minutes till the sauce thickens and water evaporates. Heat the grill on high heat. Cook the boerewors for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. (Do not prick the sausage while cooking. Place the boerewors on a large platter or board. Serve alongside the mielie pap & gravy.