It’s Spring. We’re warming ourselves in the sweet, mild sunlight and casting our eyes longingly over our winter-neglected braais.

Heritage Day is around the corner, and that means it’s also braai season.  It’s a fun story how the two became linked together.

Heritage Day (24th September) was a date celebrated as Shaka Day in KZN in remembrance of King Shaka, which then became incorporated into Heritage Day after South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. Today, it’s a public holiday for celebrating our cultural diversity and many traditions as well as national unity.

But how to bring together diversity into unity?

The word ‘braai’ originates from the word braden (to roast in Dutch) which then became braaivleis (grilled meat) in Afrikaans. In 2005, “Jan Braai” suggested that while our languages, religions, and customs differ—almost every South African loves to braai. After all, gathering around a fire for warmth, to cook, socialise and tell stories is both the most widespread and ancient of human activities.  

Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed the idea, calling the braai a way to unite the nation around a fire. And so Heritage Day also became National Braai Day, a celebration of togetherness, friendship, family and shared food.

ORYX DESERT BRAAI/BBQ SALT

And what’s a braai without flavourful seasoning?

In 2017, in celebration of the braai, we decided to create a braai salt with a difference: free from additives, preservatives, artificial colourants and flavours.

We asked Jackie Cameron, a top South African trailblazing chef, to create the recipe and she developed a unique natural process for getting the best flavour out of the ingredients by using only fresh ingredients that have been specially freeze-dried and then ground.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Oryx’s Braai/BBQ Salt is a delicious blend of pure, natural, sun-dried Oryx Desert Salt, coriander, chilli, paprika, onion, mustard seeds, garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and just a touch of brown sugar.

THE TASTE

Our Braai /BBQ Salt is warming, but unlike the fire, it doesn’t burn. Fragrant with a punchy profile, don’t let the Oryx horns on our packaging mislead you – we’re not sharp, just subtly spicy!

Whether it’s meat, chicken, fish or vegetables on the braai, fans tell us our braai salt seems to bring out the best in everything it touches. And because around the braai your hands are usually full carrying your drink or a plate, people have appreciated the fact this isn’t a grinding salt.

This one’s a mover ‘n shaker.

NOT JUST FOR THE BRAAI/BBQ

While we made this salt especially for the braai/BBQ, we’ve also discovered just how much vooma it adds to food of all kinds ranging from the humble boiled egg, slap chips to any dish requiring a more complex sprinkle of flavourful yumminess, even as an ingredient in savoury muffins! Feel free to sprinkle it on everything.

EARTH-FRIENDLY

One last thing.  We’re proud of the fact that we’ve transformed our packaging to exclude plastic. The Oryx Desert Braai/BBQ Salt shaker comes in a sleek red paper-tube with revolving cardboard (not plastic) shaker tops.

So c’mon, time to light your fire! And when your salt shaker is empty (it happens fast) no recycling needed. Just toss it into the flames.