Today is Independence Day in Namibia. From 1884, Namibia was a German colony: German South West Africa. After the First World War, the League of Nations gave South Africa a mandate to administer the territory. Following World War II, the League of Nations was dissolved and its successor, the United Nations, instituted a trusteeship system to reform the administration of the former League of Nations mandates and clearly establish majority rule and independence as eventual goals for the trust territories. South Africa objected arguing that a majority of the territory’s people were content with South African rule.
.Legal argument ensued over the course of the next twenty years until, in October 1966, the UN General Assembly decided to end the mandate, declaring that South Africa had no further right to administer the territory, and that henceforth South West Africa was to come under the direct responsibility of the UN. It took another 30 years of guerilla warfare plus pressure from European nations for South Africa to finally relinquish its hold on Namibia.
Melktert (milk tart) is a much loved dessert from Namibia. There are numerous recipes available, but this one is straightforward.
Ingredients
2 prepared graham cracker crusts
1 liter milk
1 ¼ cups cake flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 pinch salt
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
2 teaspoons powdered cinnamon
Instructions
Put 3 cups of milk in a large saucepan and set it on low heat so that it gradually comes to a boiling point.
Mix the remaining milk, flour, sugar, extracts, salt and egg yolks together and add to the hot milk when it comes to a boil.
Cook over low heat until the mix is very thick. Remove from the stove.
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peak stage and add them to the milk mixture after it has been off the stove for 5 minutes.
Stir in the margarine and pour the mixture into the ready-made pie shells.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Refrigerate to cool and set.
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