Malva pudding

• The Oxford English Dictionary says it comes from Afrikaans malvalekker, meaning "marshmallow". This may arise from a resemblance between the pudding's texture and that of a marshmallow or a similar Afrikaner sweet, the malvelekker, made with the extract of marsh mallow.
• Malva is also Afrikaans for geranium. Another botanical theory is that the batter was originally flavoured with the leaves of the lemon- or the rose-scented geranium, varieties of South African native plants.
• Art Smith said that according to Colin Cowie, his hospitality ambassador in South Africa, the pudding was named after a woman called Malva.
• Another theory is that the sauce originally contained Malvasia wine. Proponents of this theory include brandy or sherry in the sauce.
• Still others suggest that the pudding was originally accompanied by Malvasia wine.