A Braai Is Not a Barbecue

“Ons gaan nou braai!” the Afrikaner would say

A “braai” is not a barbecue. A braai is more than just putting meat on the grid. A braai is more than just a meal. Having a braai is culture. It’s friends and family. It’s Brandywine and it’s a big fire. A fire made of wood.

Have you ever been to a braai?

The culture

A braai is the African version of a barbecue. The words' origin lies in the language of Afrikaans. For those not being able to assign it to a country — Afrikaans is spoken in southern Africa. Mainly in Namibia and in South Africa.

If I talk about Afrikaners I refer to the people from Namibia since I haven’t spent enough time in South Africa in order to talk about them. But I’ve spent about five years living in Namibia. And I’ve had braais at least once a week in my time living there. They showed me how a braai should look and feel like. And they taught me how to braai.

Only with wood

Do not say you’re making a braai when you’re making a barbecue with coals or even worse, are having an electric grill. That is not accepted in Namibia and I’ve actually never seen it. Sometimes they’ll make it with coals. But only if there’s a reason for it.

Otherwise, they use wood. And only wood. And a lot of wood. Because you never know how many people will show up for your braai. You just make sure there will be enough coals for everyone. And the fire will go on long after the last steak was taken off the grid.

This part at least wasn’t new to me. Making a fire with wood. They didn’t have to teach me how to make a fire. My father did that part years back. I would be his grill master at numerous garden parties. And we would also only braai with wood.

The braai broodjies

But my friends had to teach me how to make “braai broodjies”. If you can’t make them you won’t get an Afrikaner. They said. I guess I mastered that skill because I did get one. An Afrikaner. Braai broodjies are a type of sandwich.

But God forbid, do not ever call it a sandwich when you’re in Namibia picking one from the table. It’s a braai broodjie. Toast with butter on one slice and chutney on the other slice. Onions and tomatoes in between the slices and obviously lots of cheese on it. It’s kind of the Namibian salad to the braai. They don’t really make salads. Tomatoes and onions count enough for a salad I guess.

And everyone loves them. I’ve seen people from all over the world looking suspicious at me making them and devouring them afterward. I made braai broodjies on garden parties in Germany where the only question I got back was “are there any left?”

And no, there weren’t any left.

I’ve made them in Thailand on multicultural braais where we were all cultures mixed at the garden party. Singapore, China, Russia, Brazil, Thailand, Namibia, Germany, England, and Hong Kong were present. And you know what? They all ate them.

The braai broodjies made in Thailand by a German. They called them cheese sandwiches. But that was acceptable. Because we were in Thailand. They called me the sandwich maker. Which was also fine. Since I wasn’t in Namibia.

But we all sat together and ate our slices of Namibian tradition. Because that is what traveling is about. Sharing traditions. Exchanging knowledge and being open to the other one’s culture.

Do not ever say the steak was well done

A steak can’t be rare enough for Namibians. That is something I still struggle with. I like to eat my steak medium. But I know how to make a steak on the braai in order to make the boys happy.

Because they taught me how to check the heat. It’s all about the heat. You gotta have the right heat when making a steak. And then it’s quick. Before you turn around it's time to take the steak off the grid.

A friend visited once and wanted to compliment the braai master (grill master) by saying “the steak is very well done”. She obviously intended to say that she loved the way the steak was made.

But this sentence wasn’t appreciated on the other side. Choose your words wisely when complimenting a braai master. And if you don’t know what to say, just bring him (or her) another beer!

A crayfish braai

My favorite fish on the braai is definitely the crayfish. The boys catch them in the ocean. With their bare hands. I’ve tried it too, but I just don’t like this freezing cold water. And the fighting with the current. Trying to catch an animal that is going to bite off your finger. Just not my thing.

But eating them! That is a different story. I love eating crayfish. Prepared on the braai. My friends also taught me how to prepare crayfish. Just after they bring it out of the water. Put it into freshwater for some time, cut it open and spice it with lemon and some garlic butter. Done. Put it on the grid and wait until the butter is melted.

I’m telling you there is nothing more delicious than eating those crayfish. Freshly caught. Prepared by yourself. Enjoyed together with a group of friends. Love them. But I guess that is a specialty only available at the coast.

Despite the fact, that we’ve taken them with us before and prepared them somewhere inland in places like Spitzkoppe. Wondering what archaeologists will think about this in a thousand years finding these leftover pieces of crayfish in the middle of the desert. Far from the ocean.

Wild camping and having braai

Whenever we’re wild camping we always have a braai. Or when we have a braai somewhere in the desert we always sleep out there too. It’s just not the same if you experience a braai in the wild and then drive home to sleep in a normal bed.

That just doesn’t justify the setting of the braai. For me, having a braai in nature comes along with a night under the stars. Because where else on earth are we able to experience this. There are some places. But there aren’t many of them.

The fire.

The stars.

The night.

Nature.

All of it together. Combined with being together with the right people. A mattress on the ground. All you need for a night out there. That makes the perfect braai.

“Ons gaan nou braai”

This sentence means as much as “we will start the barbecue now”. Just that you should know that the Afrikaans word of “nou” does not mean always “now”. If you ask an Afrikaner when he will do the work you asked him to do and his answer is “now” or “just now” you might wait a long time. It could mean that he will do it tomorrow, in one week, or in a year’s time.

But if an Afrikaner says “ons gaan nou braai” then there is no time to waste. He is on the way to the bottle store to get enough beer and Brandywine, buys the steak in the butchery, and stops at the gas station to buy wood. He throws his kids, dogs, and wife in the back of the bakkie (South African pickup truck) because it’s time to go.

NOW.

And hopefully, you as his wife were organized enough to pack the grid, cutlery, chairs, a table, some snacks, drinks for the kids, and had time to prepare the braai broodjies.

Because he has no time to wait for that or think of anything else he would need to pack. That is your job. As a woman. In case you don’t want to rock up in the desert realizing that the man did not pack or buy anything else except beer, meat, and wood. Because that will be blamed on you later. The woman has to think about everything. And pack it. In a matter of seconds.

His friend called and mentioned the word “braai”. He didn’t ask for the occasion. Or when. He just wanted to know where. And then his brain shut down. It’s just about to get there as fast as possible.

That is what a braai is too. Just to let you know. And to be prepared. In case you are the woman. Like me.

A braai is more than that

A braai is more than the obvious situation of making food on the fire. A braai is socializing. It’s friends. It’s family. It’s kids and dogs running around the table. It’s cool boxes filled with beer and Brandywine. Because Namibians love their “Brandy”.

A braai is a lifestyle.

Having a braai is happy time.

For me, a braai is also being in nature. Often far from any sign of civilization. Because that is what Namibia is about. Vastness. Being out there in the middle of nowhere. Starting a fire. Being cut off from the rest of the world by not having cell phone reception. Having a good time with those sitting with you around the fire. And the fire burning long after we finished “braaing”. After the actual meal, it’s time to start the real fire. Just for the ambiance. Because why not?

Thank you to my Namibian family. The group of friends that adopted me and raised me as one of theirs. You make me proud of being Namibian (as far as I am allowed to call myself Namibian). And thank you to my partner who inspired me to write this article. The article about his favorite hobby in the world. Making a braai.