Nooroenniesaah Hoosen – A Tradition Passed Down, A Taste All Her Own

When Nooroenniesaah Hoosen first began making koesisters, it wasn’t out of passion but out of necessity. With her eldest daughter just nine years old and her husband working as a builder, she wanted to do something to support her family. Sticky dough and syrup didn’t come naturally to her at first, but determination outweighed hesitation. Her daughter would go door to door selling the freshly made koesisters until the day Nooroenniesaah put up a small board outside their home — a sign that would mark the beginning of her koesister journey.

Sixteen years later, she is still faithfully at it. Every Sunday morning, from her own kitchen, she prepares koesisters that are now loved not only by her family but by her wider community. It hasn’t always been easy — there were ups and downs along the way — but her persistence has kept the tradition alive.

Her recipe began as a gift from a friend, a simple set of instructions that she gradually adapted over the years. Through patience and practice, she gave it her own flavour, introducing new techniques and touches until her koesisters carried a taste distinctly hers. “They have their own identity now,” she says with quiet pride.

For Nooroenniesaah, koesisters are more than just a business. They are a continuation of a family legacy. Growing up, she watched her mother prepare them every Sunday, a ritual she now continues. “A Sunday without koesisters isn’t a Sunday,” she says. That tradition now stretches to her own children and even her son-in-law, who never leaves without taking some home.

She has passed down part of the craft — teaching her daughter the art of syruping — though she isn’t certain if they’ve inherited the passion for making them from scratch. Still, she takes comfort in knowing they can manage her koesister business if needed. What began to provide has become a story of perseverance, heritage, and flavour. For Nooroenniesaah, every koesister carries both her mother’s legacy and her own unique touch — a sweet thread that binds past, present, and future together.