The love for braai is one of the few things  South Africans share, regardless of race, language, or culture. Braai is a South African tradition. Therefore, Heritage Day in South Africa is also known as Braai Day.

Braai and BBQ are not the same

If I must explain braai to my non-South African friends, I will do it as follows. Although braai loosely means cooking food over the coals, braaiing is not synonymous with barbeque. Braaiing can take place at any time of the day and in any season. South Africans even make coffee and breakfast on a braai when we camp. It is normal to braai during the week to prepare meals. Braai is even sometimes done after a night out since it is a way of being social.

Switzerland has a BBQ season

In Switzerland, there is a definite BBQ season during the summer. During May, the stores start unpacking accessories and food items that are marked BBQ. BBQ items are only available until after the summer holidays. During September, all the BBQ items make way again for Fondue and Raclette cheese which is the Swiss’ traditional way of hanging out with friends and family.

Here abroad, we look at a braai with new eyes. It is like an umbilical cord that binds you to your people, culture, and tradition. With Charl as a vegetarian, we did not braai in South Africa as often as most other people. In Switzerland, we have rectified the situation and braaiing is now high on our agenda.

BBQ options in Switzerland

Compared to South Africa, the meat options for braai are limited and incredibly expensive. Options consist mainly of pork sausage, marinated pork, chicken, and hamburger patties. Fortunately, there is a large variety of vegetarian barbecue options. There are different types of cheeses as well as other vegetarian substitutes for meat. We are now systematically trying out exciting products.

We have inaugurated our braai tradition in Switzerland with a disposable braai, a popular form of braai in the summer along the lake. For the first time, we tried out the disposable braai on the table on the porch of our apartment. The smell and taste and Zander’s excitement were enough motivations to buy a weber braai that works with charcoal.

It took us a while to get up to speed. For example, there are no fire lighters here, but we found substitutes and, in the process, discovered new Weber-related products.

Our braai was causing problems

One Sunday afternoon, someone rang our front doorbell. It was our Swiss neighbour in her wheelchair. Luckily Charl opened the door, and I listened from the room. When she started her sentence with, “I do not like complaining, but …” I held my breath. She complained about the braai and the smoke coming into her house. She also brought along the apartment complex’s lease agreement to show that only gas grills are allowed. We have never read the fine print in German before.

We searched again for the lease on the computer, translating the rules from German only to see that she was right. It was a bitter pill, but we were obliged to return with our hat in our hand. An apology letter and South African rooibos tea had to put the awkward situation behind us.

In South Africa braai on a gas grill is not considered a braai

In South Africa, braai on a gas grill is not considered a braai. We realised that “beggars cannot be choosers”, and Charl ordered a gas grill. Putting the Weber gas grill together was a whole Saturday project. Fortunately, Charl already has good experience with these types of construction projects.

We have tried our new gas grill a few times now. It works very well and allows us to experiment with different items. We tried homemade pizzas, but it still needs process improvement.

Regards

Emsia