Happy Braai Day

Posted on 24/09/2014

If you live in South Africa, you probably count down the days to National Braai Day – the day where almost every South African joins around the open flames of a proudly South African BRAAI! Although this public holiday is known as Heritage Day, “braaiing” has become part of SA’s heritage, thus making the initiative a national celebration of #braai4heritage!

Heritage Day

On this day, South Africans across the spectrum are encouraged to celebrate their culture and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all its people.

In 2005, a media campaign sought to “re-brand” the holiday as National Braai Day, in recognition of the South African culinary tradition of holding informal backyard barbecues, or braais.

On 5 September 2007, Archbishop Desmond Tutu celebrated his appointment as patron of South Africa’s Braai Day, affirming it to be a unifying force in a divided country. At the end of 2007 National Braai Day changed its name to Braai4Heritage and the initiative received the endorsement of South Africa’s National Heritage Council (NHC).

 

Braai Dictionary

The “Braai Dictionary” can be found on www.braai.com. Here are some words we thought you might enjoy:

• abbraaiviation – a very short braai
• ag – One of the most useful South African words. Pronounced “ach” like in the German “achtung”, it can be used to buy you time when having to reply to a tricky question, as in: “Ag, I don’t know.” Or a sense of resignation: “Ag OK, I’ll have some more mieliepap then.” It can stand alone too as a signal of irritation.
• bokdopentjop – (bok-dop-en-tjop) – appropriate for a ‘bring and braai’ – you may bring your bok (babe), your dop (drinks) and tjop (meat of choice)
• braaidsmaid – Female performing supporting role during a braai. E.g. making salad, marinating meat, making braaibroodjies.
• deurtrekker – 1. boudflos 2. Someone who is still standing after a night of partying
• dinges – 1. @#!?#* 2. anything you can’t remember the word for: Give me that dinges for the chops
• doek sag – a way of describing very tender meat, as in “hierie steakie is nou vi jou doek sag!”
• Flaterwater – 1. Tippex 2. As iemand jou dop verkeerd geskink het
• Karate-water – Brannewyn, Brandy
• Shoemoer  – Die stukkie yster wat ‘n toeklaprooster se kante bymekaar hou wanneer jy braai.
• Skilpad Braai – min vleis, baie dop (daar word meer gedrink as gebraai)
• Wie-braai-ek-of-jy? – If you don’t know the meaning of this word, then you should not stand near the braai without the supervision of an experienced braaier.

Do you have some words to add?

We wish you a happy and “full-flamed” National Braai Day / Heritage Day and hope you enjoy a braai and some Merwida wines with your family and friends.

Click here for some recipes that include wine (of course you can enjoy wine with every and any dish!)

We close off with a piece of a poem for braai day:

…

Together we’ll braai

Together we’ll cry

Together we’ll strive

To keep this nation alive

 

I‘m proudly South-African

I’ll soar like a falcon

To shout it from up high

My heritage, I’ll never deny

 

Poem Written by Mainy