Every South African loves a braai. A braai is very similar to a barbeque in the U.S., but a wood fire is used to cook the food. Braais are a social gathering and always bring friends and families together to eat, chat and laugh. Braais are often the center of a special occasion, like celebrating a birthday, a win by your local rugby team or even just on a beautiful sunny day. Many different types of food are cooked at a braai, but no braai is complete without roosterkoeke (a bread roll cooked directly over the fire), boerewors (a South African sausage seasoned with coriander, cloves, nutmeg and black pepper) and a variety of marinated meats.
Braais often have many different types of meat that we would find exotic in the United States. Ostrich steaks are a delicious type of meat sometimes cooked at a braai. Ostriches are a big flightless bird that lives in Africa, and are actually the biggest bird found anywhere in the world! I cooked and ate an ostrich steak at a braai this week. Even though ostriches are birds, their meat isn’t anything like chicken or turkey. Ostriches have red meat like a cow, and you cook them just like you would a normal steak.
