Thursday 24 September is Heritage Day, a day which encourages all South Africans to celebrate their culture and the broad spectrum of their beliefs and traditions. Initiated by the Mzansi Braai Institute in 2005 as National Braai Day, it gained the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Emeritus Archbishop Doctor Desmond Tutu in 2007 and was endorsed by South Africa’s National Heritage Council (NHC) as Braai4Heritage in 2008.

While families and friends across the country gather around a fire and prepare delectable feasts - think sizzling boerewors; juicy steaks; and tender lamb chops - this year we look at other countries across the globe and how they choose to interpret our national, and much loved, pastime.

In Asia, braaing is a popular outdoor activity. In Hong Kong pork braais are known as char si, which literally means ‘fork-roast’ – long and narrow strips of pork are marinated in honey and soy sauce, and then cooked over an open flame. In Japan it’s less meat, more vegetables and seafood; and in Taiwan braais are commonly held to celebrate their mid-autumn festival. In Singapore, due to a lack of open spaces, braais are encouraged in parks, with braai pits for hire from the National Parks board – can you imagine having to rent your braai spot?!

In Europe the Germans, considered to be the biggest lovers of grilling on the continent, adore their Bratwurst and pork steaks; while the English are sadly not known for their braai fare – although they do have a British Barbecue Society, very posh. Moving over the pond towards North America we encounter stars-and-stripes-style barbecuing or BBQ – which too often means hamburgers or hotdogs on the menu. It’s only once you get down South that barbecue takes on a subculture all its own, but this is not braai as we know it, but rather a technique that involves cooking meat for long periods of time at low temperatures with smoke from a wood fire – Laura Dove’s ‘The History of Barbecue in the South’ provides an interesting overview on how BBQ has come to be a cultural icon for Southerners.

And then of course we get to South America, especially the Argentinians and their asados – probably one of the few countries, apart from the Aussies and their ‘barbies’, that come close to matching our zeal for open fires and great cuts of meat. Argentinians are said to eat more beef than any other nation in the world – although depending on which news portal you follow, they have now been toppled as the King of Beef by either Hong Kong or Uruguay.

Thanks to our diverse culture, South Africans eat a wide variety of different meats, and with National Braai Day just around the corner there is much to choose from, so be sure you have all your favourites ready for fire and feasting – above all else, enjoy the day and fly your flag high!