Braai

At N1, as leading South African meat wholesalers, we’re passionate about bringing the best quality ingredients to your kitchen, and as we welcome the changing seasons, there’s one ingredient that perfectly captures the spirit of this time of year: pumpkin. While Halloween may not be a major event in South Africa, it’s still a great excuse to celebrate the versatile and delicious pumpkin, a vegetable that’s a staple in many of our beloved traditional dishes.

As leading South African meat wholesalers, we love our braais, and Heritage Day (or Braai Day, as us South Africans fondly know it) was the perfect time to fire up the grill and enjoy the smoky, delicious flavours we all cherish. With spring slowly approaching, there’s no better time to keep the flame going and try something new – starting with the art of marinating.

It’s that time of the year again, and never have we needed a braai day or the celebration of our loved ones and our culture more than we do on this Heritage Day!

National Braai Day, synonymous with Heritage Day, was begun more than a decade ago by Jan Scannell aka Jan Braai. The concept really gained momentum in 2008 when Archbishop Desmond Tutu lent it his support - and 12 years later, we have one of South Africa’s favourite foodie holidays.

We’re in for a double treat this weekend – not only is the World Cup kicking off in Japan this Friday but for many of us, it’s also a long weekend thanks to Heritage Day aka National Braai Day on Tuesday 24 September! Initiated by the Mzansi Braai Institute in 2005, National Braai Day soon gained the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Emeritus Archbishop Doctor Desmond Tutu and was endorsed by South Africa’s National Heritage Council as Braai4Heritage in 2008. 

Very soon our fridges will be chock-a-block with loads of extras – remember Cape Town meat wholesalers N1 for the very best in Halaal certified meat – and our tables will be groaning with delicious food as we begin to gather friends and family together for holiday celebrations.

Despite the heat wave anomaly we had two weeks back, spring has settled back into place with more temperate weather, but summer is soon on its way which means it’s time to up your braai-game. Not that we don’t keep braaing throughout the year come rain or shine, but lovely weather does bring with it a greater inclination to entertain and be outside.

We might be a little early for Easter, but if you’re dreaming of a leisurely four-day break that involves family, friends and fish, but you don’t want to go the traditional pickled fish route, then you might want to start practising for an alternative – a delicious fish braai.

Christmas may be done and dusted, but New Year’s Eve is rapidly approaching and for many of us that means having friends and family over for a delicious braai as we contemplate the year that was and look forward to a new year filled with fresh adventure and experiences. While we begin stocking up on all our favourite Halaal certified meat and sausage in preparation for a great evening, many other nations around the world choose to celebrate the new year in an entirely different (and often strange) way. Here are a few of the more interesting global traditions.

It’s that time of the year again, spring has sprung and National Braai Day (otherwise known as Heritage Day) is nearly upon us. A day to celebrate with friends and family, gathered around a fire, doing what we South Africans do best – laughing, braaing and enjoying sumptuous braai-fare, whether it be delectable steaks and chops, chicken, sausage or fish; it’s all available from N1, quality suppliers of the best in Halaal certified meat and Halaal fish.