The Star E-dition

Jan Braai boost for Boks

WENDY JASSON DA COSTA wendy.jdc@inl.co.za

The Springboks will be powered by the smell of Heritage Day braaing when they kick off their rugby test match against Argentina in Durban at 5pm today.

Braai connoisseur Jan Scannell, widely known as “Jan Braai”, and his team are heading to the stadium where they will cook up a storm over coals during the match.

“It’s the word of nose campaign,” he says.

He has also expressed a special thanks to Eskom, saying since the start of September, it has consistently switched off the electricity to give people time to practice their braai skills in the run-up to Heritage Day.

Braai is an auditor who started the National Braai Day campaign in 2005 to build bridges between South Africans with the one thing everyone loves to do, braai.

He says in 2007, he enlisted the support of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and suddenly had the world’s attention. “That was life-changing. He had a good sense of humour, but he didn’t laugh the idea off.”

They had a joint news conference about National Braai Day, which was attended by the world’s media, and he’s never looked back.

Six recipe books later and with the updated version of The Democratic Republic of Braai now on shelves, Braai says the campaign has gone from strength to strength. In addition, he has a range of boerewors, braai sauces and braai equipment to his name.

He came up with the concept of National Braai Day so South Africans could have a day of celebration and

talking while doing the one activity they all have in common, regardless of race, language, gender or wealth.

Braai says he knows not everyone is in favour of braai day. However, this has not deterred him because he says whatever you do, someone will always be negative.

Today, he has a thriving business which takes him all over the world, marketing the concept of braai day. He will be attending the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, next.

The updated edition of The Democratic Republic of Braai features a selection of new recipes and is more “sophisticated”, he said.

Recipes include Heritage T-bone Steak with pinotage sauce, the Braai Freedom Fighter Burger, Revolution Chicken, Democratic Lamb Salad and Rainbow Nation Roti.

Since he started National Braai Day, he has been on many cooking courses, which he adapted to cooking on a fire.

Braai said he wanted braaing to be an aspirational thing where people see fire and coals as just another energy source used to make anything.

“My focus is to get people to think of braaing differently, where it's not just chops and wors and steak. It’s cooking amazing food on a fire.”

Metro

en-za

2022-09-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281651078973621

African News Agency