In Africa, there are as many things that divide us as there are that unite us. One of the unifying elements found in every African household across the continent is pap made with maize meal. No matter what you choose to call it, pap is a staple.
Africans have grown up with pap in various formats, flavours and textures. Some prefer it runny, others fluffy and moldable. However, never has it been deep-fried – until now.
This is now a reality thanks to Willfried Korn, the founder of PAP2GO. Born and bred in Germany, Korn travelled the world after completing his army duties in 1990. His journey eventually led him to Cape Town in 1996.
Having spent nearly 30 years in Southern Africa, Korn is well-versed in South African cuisine.
“I’m a meat eater, and the first time I was invited to a braai in South Africa, I saw the quality of meat and the size of the steaks. Living on the coast, I also love the fresh fish,” he says.
During his stay, Korn quickly realised that pap featured in almost every South African meal, no matter where he travelled in the country.
Pap on the go
The idea for PAP2GO started when Korn observed the journey of sushi into South Africa. Almost every restaurant he visited had sushi on the menu. He wondered why more traditional staple foods did not feature on restaurant menus.
Korn had the idea to create a simple healthy African food product, for everyone. He decided on using pap and filling it with various meat and veggies. The challenge was in creating the perfect shape, and the chassis out of pap, before filling his PAP2GO product.
However, his experience of being a car mechanic by trade came in handy and he developed various moulds to produce different shapes, each shape with a different filling.
“Because once closed, the meaty fillings are protected from a 10mm pap-crust all around. This is a kind of pap revolution, from traditional “pap and dip” to one solid meal for on the go. At school, work sport and take aways all over Africa.”
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“The fillings are delicious, and people are impressed. People always think it is a pie. While it is the same concept as a pie, we use pap instead of pastry. The pap also gets deep-fried, not backed! The short frying process makes PAP2GO crispy and solid to eat grump free on the go.”
Based on the West Coast, Korn sells his product mainly at farmers’ markets but also caters for private events. Friends of Korn bought in bulk and re-sells in the locations.
“I was thinking creating a product for African people, to establish their own little business where they live, work from home with PAP2GO,” he says.
Based on the West Coast, Korn sells his product mainly at farmers’ markets but also caters for private events. Instead of white maize meal, he uses yellow maize meal to ensure the pap base turns golden – a trick he learned in Lesotho.
A lot of attention to detail goes into making these PAP2GO meals. Each meal is of exactly the same weight, and special equipment is used to deep-fry the pap at the perfect temperature, Korn explains passionately. One PAP2GO, depending on shape, has between 360 and 430 grams.
“Important is you can deep-freeze the PAP2GO, stone hard, so you can store or transport it for long times. The frozen PAP2GO can be re-heated best in an air fryer in 8 minutes, or on an oven or on a braai or frying pan, ready to eat.
Powering up with pap
Korn also makes other variations, such as pap fingers. Sometimes he did not have enough meaty fillings but still had leftover pap.
“We use the leftover pap, roll it, cut it into different shapes and forms, and then deep fry it. It is a nice snack, better than chips, I would say.”
“My friend in Namibia calls it vegan biltong,” he laughs. “Pap is power. I now know where rugby players get their power from – it is from the pap they eat.”
Korn is on a mission to educate consumers about his product and believes every retailer should have it on their shelves. The product offers a lot of convenience and is delicious.
Korn is open to partnering with a Maize Meal supplier, or an existing Pie company, to introduce his “PAP of Tomorrow” further into Africa. Next step on Korn’s agenda is to take PAP2GO to Zambia and Zimbabwe, where he believes it would do well.
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