A Good Braai Is Hard To Find!
A good braai is very important to a South African. A braai is a Texas barbeque with many more ground rules (my interpretation!).
First you invite your friends to an afternoon of braai ā ing. The host is responsible for cooking the meat on the outside grill but the guests bring all the food. You do not cook just one meat ā you braai sausage and ostrich and beef and chicken and springbuck and ā lots of other great things!
In Texas you āgit āer doneā. You cook your meat, you eat it, and you leave. In South Afica you cook your meat ā and you stay! It is rude to āeat and runā. You arrive, visit, watch your host grill the meat, visit, prepare the salad, visit, eat your meal, and then ā you visit!
The braai is literally an institution in South Africa. In Texas we advertise our pools and spas as features when we sell our homes. In South Africa they highlight their built in braais inĀ real estate ads.
It is very special to have a braai when you have guests. So when you travel to South Africa you will know you are especially welcome when your host holds a braai for you. Just donāt get in too big a hurry!
What do you think?Ā Click on the title above to make a commentĀ Ā (A Good Braai Is Hard To Find!)…
Raymond Pechacek lives in the U.S. and is married to a wonderful South African lady (BG!). He writes about the people, customs, wildlife, and places of South Africa, runs a consulting firm to help companies improve their global trade processes, and imports products into the U.S. - with an emphasis on supporting South Africa!
September 3, 2009
Tags: braai Posted in: Culture and Customs
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Thanks for this article on the Braii, I recently enjoyed one myself!
About South Africa » Food Worth Taking A Picture Of… - October 21, 2009
[...] ostrich, kudu, oxtail, and muttonĀ Ā are often seenĀ on menus.Ā One of my favorite meals (besides “braai” of course) was bobotie, a Malay curry dish that is very popular in South [...]