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.
| 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. |
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.) |