The Braaictionary.
Speak braai fluently. The essential vocabulary first, then the slang — because half of braai culture lives in the language.
Speak braai fluently. The essential vocabulary first, then the slang — because half of braai culture lives in the language.
The Braaictionary began life on this site in June 2009 as a dictionary built by its readers, one submitted word at a time. This is its modern edition: the vocabulary you actually need at a South African fire, followed by a selection of the wordplay tradition the original was loved for — rewritten, curated, and offered in the same spirit.
National Braai Day is Heritage Day, 24 September — one day the country lights a fire together.
| Term | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| braai | bry | The fire, the event, the equipment and the act of cooking on it. Noun and verb. The reason you're here. |
| braaivleis | bry-flayss | "Grilled meat" — the older, fuller form of the word, and the meat itself. |
| braaier / braaimeester | bry-er | The one holding the tongs; the meester is the one whose fire you don't touch without permission. |
| boerewors / wors / boerie | boo-ruh-vorss | The coriander-spiced farmer's sausage, at least 90% meat by law. Know the real thing. |
| tjop | chop | A chop, usually lamb. The plural is "not enough". |
| sosatie | soh-sah-tee | A skewer of marinated meat — Cape Malay heritage. Recipe here. |
| braaibroodjie | bry-brue-key | Cheese, tomato, onion and chutney, toasted slowly in a hinged grid. The braaier's true exam. Recipe here. |
| roosterkoek | roo-ster-cook | Bread rolls baked on the grid. Recipe here. |
| skilpadjie | skil-pie-key | Lamb's liver wrapped in caul fat, braaied over coals. Not the tortoise from the garden. |
| pofadder | pawf-udder | The skilpadjie's big cousin — a coil of seasoned liver braaied like wors. Traditional, glorious, unapologetic. |
| stokbrood | stock-broo-ert | Dough twisted around a stick and baked over coals — the children's department of the braai. |
| pap / stywe pap / slap pap / krummelpap | pup | Maize porridge: firm, soft, or crumbly. The braai's great equaliser. Recipe here. |
| sous | soce | The tomato-and-onion relish that turns pap into pap en sous. Also, regrettably, the weather that interferes with a braai. |
| chakalaka | chuck-a-lucka | The spicy vegetable relish — onion, pepper, carrot, beans, curry spice — that wakes up any plate. |
| monkey gland sauce | — | Sweet-tangy steakhouse sauce of onion, tomato, chutney and Worcestershire. Contains neither monkeys nor glands. Recipe here. |
| potjie / potjiekos | poy-key | The three-legged pot and the layered slow food made in it. Never stirred. Full guide here. |
| shisa nyama | shee-sa nyah-ma | From Zulu, "burn the meat" — the township braai tradition: buy your meat at the butchery, braai it right there, music included. Braai culture at full volume. |
| flattie | flat-ee | A spatchcocked chicken, flattened for the grid. |
| varknek | fark-neck | Pork neck — the most underrated cut in the country. See The Cuts. |
| toeklap-rooster | too-klup roo-ster | The hinged grid that clamps shut, for broodjies, fish and wors. |
| blitz | blits | Firelighters, whatever the brand — and the eternal question: "did anyone bring blitz?" |
| kameeldoring / sekelbos / rooikrans | — | The holy trinity of braai wood. The full wood guide. |
| bring en braai | — | Bring your own meat and a side; the fire is provided. Note: "bring" refers to the meat, not merely yourself. |
| chop en dop | — | The minimalist format: one chop, one drink, zero admin. |
| dop | dawp | A drink. Keeps the braaier hydrated and the stories improving. |
| kuier | kay-er | To visit, linger and talk for hours. The braai's actual purpose; the meat is the excuse. |
| spitbraai | spit-bry | A whole lamb or large cut on a rotating spit — the crowd-feeding format of weddings and matric farewells. |
| skottel | skaw-tul | The gas disc pan of campsite breakfasts. Useful, beloved, and not a braai — we've checked. |
| Vrystaathamburger | — | Two slabs of stywe pap with the filling in between. The Free State does not explain itself. |
| lekker | lack-er | Good, delicious, excellent, correct. The one-word review every braaier is working toward. |
| National Braai Day | — | Heritage Day, 24 September, celebrated with a nationwide braai. Plan the fire. |
The original 2009 braaictionary's real genius was its wordplay, submitted by readers over the years. A curated revival of the tradition:
| Entry | Definition |
|---|---|
| abbraaiviation | A very short braai. |
| braaiathon | A very long one. Often starts as an abbraaiviation. |
| log on | To add wood and make the fire hotter. |
| log off | To remove wood and calm it down. IT support for fires. |
| braai passenger | The guest who arrives at a bring en braai having interpreted "bring" as referring only to themselves. |
| roofbraaier | The one who arrives with budget meat, braais it next to your dry-aged rump, and confidently plates your rump. |
| braaistard | The one who drinks your drink while you're minding the fire. |
| skilpadbraai | A braai with much dop and very little vleis — more drinking than braaiing gets done. |
| tan 'n tjop | A deliberately slow braai, typically scheduled around an overseas rugby kick-off. |
| tjopswaai | To braai; literally to swing chops about, preferably with a dop in the other hand. |
| kameeldrolle | Affectionate slang for charcoal briquettes. Look at one and you'll see it. |
| clutchplaat | Meat that stayed on the grid until it qualified as an automotive part. |
| doek sag | Meat so tender it barely needed the fire's permission. |
| jammerlappie | The little cloth you apologise to after wiping your hands on it, having eaten wors like a civilised person. |
| Smokie Robertson | An amateur fire-starter producing far more smoke than flame. Every braai has one; make sure it isn't you — the fire guide helps. |
| krismisbraai | The braai most of South Africa has on the 25th of December, weather forecast: guaranteed. |
| referendum braai | A braai at which everyone present holds a different, strongly expressed view on how to braai. Resolved by consensus, eventually, over dops. |
| wasistmitbier? | Frequently asked question among the braai team, ensuring adequate hydration of all personnel. (This one survives from the original unimproved, because it cannot be improved.) |
Braai is the South African tradition of cooking meat over wood coals; also the fire, the equipment and the gathering itself. Noun and verb; pronounced "bry". Braaivleis is Afrikaans for "grilled meat" — the older, fuller form of the word braai, and the meat itself. For the longer account, see What is a braai?
Shisa nyama is from Zulu, "burn the meat" — the township braai tradition where you buy meat at a butchery and braai it on site, with music and community. Braai culture at full volume.
A toeklap-rooster is the hinged, close-and-clamp grid used for braaibroodjies, fish and wors. The Gear guide covers braai grids.
Lekker means nice, good, delicious, excellent — the universal South African seal of approval. The one-word review every braaier is working toward.
Potjiekos — "small-pot food" — is meat and vegetables layered in a cast-iron potjie and simmered for hours over coals, never stirred. The potjie is the three-legged cast-iron pot. The full guide is Potjie.
Boerewors is South Africa's coarse, coriander-spiced farmer's sausage — by law at least 90% meat. Shortened to "wors" or "boerie". Know the real thing on The Cuts, and the boerewors rolls are in the recipes.
Kameeldoring, sekelbos and rooikrans are the holy trinity of braai wood. Kameeldoring — camel thorn — is dense hardwood prized for long-lasting braai coals; buy from permitted suppliers. Rooikrans is an invasive alien wood, the Cape's favourite braai fuel; burning it is a small act of conservation. Sekelbos — sickle bush — is fragrant, dense bushveld braai wood. The full wood guide is Wood & Coals.