Traditional Braai: Pretoria, South Africa
MEAT. ALL THE MEAT.
Welcome to South Africa, the home of the best barbecue I've had in a very long time. Sorry Britain, you just can't compare.
Matt and I have arrived in South Africa for the long awaited holiday that I have been meticulously planning and researching for months and I still can't believe we're actually here! After travelling for 20 hours (including the journey from my flat to Gatwick airport, a 2 hour layover in Dubai and the forty-five minute drive from Johannesburg), we are finally in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa and also the city where I was born. Honestly, if I'd known the homecoming would be this delicious, I would have raced here sooner!
At the Johannesburg airport, we were met by my friend Spalding, who I met while studying in York, and her husband Al. After settling in to their apartment and taking much needed showers to give us a bit of a wake up and wash the travel germs away, we wandered over to see their neighbors, Mattie and Schalk, who had very kindly organised a braai for us. A braai, short for braaivleis is a beloved tradition here and it's not difficult to see why. Think of the best barbeque you've ever had and then multiple it by several more types of meat. Delicious. When we entered their home (and after we'd said hello to their three adorable doggies), we were greeted with the vision above: kudu droewors (a type of antelope) and chili snapsticks in the paper bags, boerewors sausages, sirloin steak and cheese grillers.
While the coals heated up, we sat around the table on their porch discussing the political tensions and recent events here in the country while snacking on the droewors and snapsticks. These are a similar to the more globally available biltong - basically different versions of dried meat similar to beef jerky. The kudu droewors was not as gamey as I was expecting and to be honest, I probably would not have realized it wasn't beef if I hadn't been told. It had a nice texture - sort of like Italian salami rather than being more dry like the snapsticks. Of the two, I definitely preferred the slight spiciness of the snapsticks since they packed more of a flavor hit. I'm hoping we'll have a chance to try other flavors while we're here and maybe sneak some home with us!
The real surprise for me were the cheese grillers pictured above - I'd never heard of them and now I'm sad that they have been absent from my life for so long. These little pork sausages are very similar to the standard cocktail sausage found in the UK but have one crucial difference: they are stuffed with delicious cheddar cheese. I mean, what's not to love about that?! These were the first items off the grill and it was a true act of courage to avoid filling up on them while the rest of the meat cooked.
Speaking of meat... here was the final product. Expertly cooked by Schalk, we had a nice mix of items since the boerwors sausages were completely different in texture and taste to the sirloin. These were the traditional version of the sausages so featured coriander seeds, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper. They come in one long sausage and are chopped into smaller pieces after cooking which I'm guessing helps keep them juicy while cooking.
Alongside the meat, we had a nice mix of traditional and modern with our side dishes. Mattie had prepared a version of pap, which I was really excited to try since it's on my list of South African specialties. While this is usually served on its own as a side, Mattie had jazzed hers up with a spiced tomato sauce and topped it with cheese. This was my favorite item after the cheese grillers since it was incredibly tasty and not at all what I was expecting. I had been told that pap is most directly comparable to southern grits in the US and since I'm not a massive fan of grits, I didn't have high hopes for pap. However, this version was nothing like the more liquid consistency of the grits I've had before - instead it was more like a cross between couscous, mashed potatoes and cornbread. While it wasn't as solid as cornbread, it was denser than I was expecting and I think this is element is what takes it over grits in my opinion. Spalding suggested it was more like twice baked grits and also explained that there are lots of ways to make pap so maybe I just got lucky here...
The second side was one that Spalding put together: a refreshing, Asian-inspired cabbage salad. The cabbage, both red and white, had been finely sliced and mixed with toasted sesame seeds, crumbled dry noodles and a sesame dressing. It was such a nice addition to an otherwise fairly heavy meal and I actually went back for several helpings. The uncooked noodles added a great crunch while the dressing cut through the fattiness of the sausages.
Finally, it was time for dessert: koeksisters. These are pieces of fried dough that have been completely doused in syrup - sort of a mix between a doughnut and gulab jamun. Interestingly, wikipedia claims this dish is where the origin of the word "cookie" comes from - with 'koek" leading to "cookie"... but maybe take that with a grain of salt. The koeksisters themselves were another item on my list of foods to try so I was really happy that Mattie had thought to pick some up. They were definitely sweet but I didn't find them as overwhelmingly sweet as I'd expected - although the South Africans at the table all agreed that there can be a real range when it comes to the different versions found in bakeries here. Some are apparently so sweet that dunking in a cup of strong coffee is a necessity rather than a pleasure.
And that was the end of our fabulous feast! Not only did we manage to try some local dishes and enjoy great company but we were also completely distracted from our travel tiredness - which was a much appreciated bonus.
