Braaiday South African National Holiday

September 24th was Heritage Day here in South Africa. A public holiday that celebrates South Africa’s diversity, and yet another excuse for all of us not to go to work.

But, it is also National Braai Day.

For those of you not from South Africa, a braai (pronounced like “eye” but with “br” in front of it) is a barbecue. Only with proper meat, and done in South African style of beer, boerewors and biltong. And steak, and lamb chops, and potato salad, and malva pudding…. you get the idea 😉

BraaiDay was started by Jan Scannell in 2005, and is being heavily promoted now, with people being asked to SMS the number of guests around a braai on the day. It is a great way for all friends and family to spend an afternoon together, because braais are always fun. According to www.braaiday.co.za:

National Braai Day is a non-profit initiative that aims to unite all South Africans around the braai on 24 September. The idea is that in a few years it will reach the same status as a day like St Patrick’s Day.

And, just to give you an idea, here’s a video with a tongue-in-cheek look at “South African Braai Etiquette” giving you a pretty typical view of a braai taking place.

So, if you have any comments or braai tips, leave them in the form below. I’m hoping to add a few recipes and ideas over the next year, all in perfect time for BraaiDay 2008!

One Reply to “Braaiday South African National Holiday”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *