I recently returned from an amazing trip to South Africa. I stayed pretty close to the city of Durban for most of the trip and was surprised and delighted every day at the new experiences of South African culture. I did visit a mall or two during my stay, but my favorite experiences were browsing the traditional marketplaces for amazing [http://www.tanga.com] and going to braais. I'm used to going to barbecues in the States, so I initially drew some pretty close parallels to braaing and barbecuing, but I soon learned how wrong I was.
There are some similarities between a braai and a traditional American barbecue, which can confuse newcomers. Both are largely social affairs, which generally feature close friends and family spending an evening together, talking and having fun. Also, both are centered on the food; nothing can bring together a large, diverse group of people like expertly prepared food. The responsibility of cooking the meat is left up to one man in both traditions, though it's not as serious an offense to mess with someone else's grill in America. Beer also seems to be a pretty important part of both practices, with the men generally having a drink while discussing major sporting events, politics or current news.
Though it may seem as though a braai and American barbecue are nearly the same, most of the similarities are only surface level, I soon found. Typically, Americans will go to the supermarket and pick up a few types of meat, then move on. For a braai, however, people will visit a local butcher for the best meat they can get, including chicken, steaks, boerwors, a spicy sausage, sosaties and fish. The incredible variety of meat available at a braai floored me my first time and now I find myself slightly disappointed when I go to a barbecue and see only hamburgers and hot dogs. Another major difference is that, though you may offer to help prepare the meat, you never touch another man's braai unless he asks you. Braaing is an art form and telling another man what to do or, worse, attempting to do it yourself, would be like taking a painter's brush from his hands and trying to finish the painting yourself. You're free to marvel at the cook's skill and try to learn his techniques, but butting in is definitely unwelcome.
My experiences in South Africa, from haggling with vendors in the marketplace to buying meat and produce at the farmer's market will always be among my fondest memories. My favorite parts of my trip, though, were the fantastic times I was able to have with people at braais, learning about their food culture and having a blast at the same time. I'm definitely looking forward to introducing my friends to some of the amazing food I discovered during my trip.
There are some similarities between a braai and a traditional American barbecue, which can confuse newcomers. Both are largely social affairs, which generally feature close friends and family spending an evening together, talking and having fun. Also, both are centered on the food; nothing can bring together a large, diverse group of people like expertly prepared food. The responsibility of cooking the meat is left up to one man in both traditions, though it's not as serious an offense to mess with someone else's grill in America. Beer also seems to be a pretty important part of both practices, with the men generally having a drink while discussing major sporting events, politics or current news.
Though it may seem as though a braai and American barbecue are nearly the same, most of the similarities are only surface level, I soon found. Typically, Americans will go to the supermarket and pick up a few types of meat, then move on. For a braai, however, people will visit a local butcher for the best meat they can get, including chicken, steaks, boerwors, a spicy sausage, sosaties and fish. The incredible variety of meat available at a braai floored me my first time and now I find myself slightly disappointed when I go to a barbecue and see only hamburgers and hot dogs. Another major difference is that, though you may offer to help prepare the meat, you never touch another man's braai unless he asks you. Braaing is an art form and telling another man what to do or, worse, attempting to do it yourself, would be like taking a painter's brush from his hands and trying to finish the painting yourself. You're free to marvel at the cook's skill and try to learn his techniques, but butting in is definitely unwelcome.
My experiences in South Africa, from haggling with vendors in the marketplace to buying meat and produce at the farmer's market will always be among my fondest memories. My favorite parts of my trip, though, were the fantastic times I was able to have with people at braais, learning about their food culture and having a blast at the same time. I'm definitely looking forward to introducing my friends to some of the amazing food I discovered during my trip.
Blake Fields
[blake007 [ a t ] cooksandtravelbooks.com]
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