Similar to a potluck party, braais are casual and relaxed social events where families and friends converge on a picnic spot or someone's home (normally the garden or veranda) with their own meat, salad, or side dish in hand.
A braai typically includes boerewors, sosaties, kebabs, marinated chicken, pork and lamb chops, steaks, sausages of different flavors and thickness, and possibly even racks of spareribs.
Fish and rock lobster, commonly called crayfish, are also popular in coastal areas, particularly on the west and southwest coasts, and prawns are also braaied.
General Motors South Africa used the term braai in the 1970s in its localized jingle "Braaivleis, rugby, sunny skies, and Chevrolet" to advertise their cars in South Africa—equivalent to the slogan "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet" in the US and, to a lesser extent, "football, meat pies, kangaroos & Holden Cars" used in Australia.
It aims to unite all South Africans by encouraging them to partake in a fun and tangible activity shared by all demographic groups, religious denominations, and body types.
Chuanr originated in Xinjiang and in recent years has spread throughout the rest of the country as a popular street food, most notably in northern China.
Chuanr was traditionally made from lamb (yáng ròu chuàn, 羊肉串), which is still the most common, but now, chicken, pork, beef, and various types of seafood can also be used.
In the Cantonese-speaking regions, pork barbecue is made with a marinade of honey and soy sauce, and cooked in long, narrow strips.
In addition, outdoor barbecues (usually known simply as BBQ) are popular among local residents on short trips to regional parks in the countryside.
[11] These are invariably charcoal-fired, with marinated pieces of meat, usually beef, pork, sausage or chicken wings, cooked using long, hand-held forks.
Bulgogi (불고기) is thinly sliced beef (sometimes pork or chicken) marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chili pepper, and cooked on a grill at the table.
Originating in Taiwan in the mid to late 20th century, the so-called "Mongolian barbecue", a popular dish in American and Canadian Chinese restaurants, consists of thinly sliced lamb, beef, chicken, pork, or other meat, seasonings, vegetables, and noodles, or a combination thereof, which is quickly cooked over a flat circular metal surface that has been heated.
It consists of pieces of meat skewered on bamboo sticks marinated in a mixture of spices similar to a curry mix and pulverised peanut.
[18] Mu kratha is prepared with sliced meat (most often pork) is grilled on the dome in the centre while the vegetables and other ingredients, such as fish balls, cook in the soup (also called Thai suki).
When cooking mu kratha, a chunk of fat is commonly grilled at the apex of the pan so its grease prevents food from sticking.
Regional festivals feature grilled items ranging from eel to trout, whole sides of pork or beef, chicken, and duck.
Modern British cuisine, including barbecuing, is often cosmopolitan in nature, drawing on traditions and influences from the nation's multi-ethnic minority communities and around the globe.
In recent times, barbecue cook-off competitions have started to take place in the British Isles, similar to those held in the United States, Canada, continental Europe, and Australia.
All three main types of Persian kabob are usually served with Iranian style saffron rice and Shirazi salad, but can also be eaten with Middle-Eastern lavash bread.
Barbecue cookouts, either pit-smoking, baking, grilling (charbroiling or griddling), or braising (by putting a broth-filled pot on top of a charbroil-grill) may also be combined with picnics.
Lechon consists of taking a whole pig, slicing it from the head to tail along the chest and stomach, and slow-grilling the hog as it is turned on a rod.
Carne asada (literally meaning "roasted meat") consists of marinated cuts of beef rubbed with salt and pepper, and then grilled.
In the northern part of the country, cabrito is a popular barbecue dish, which consists of an entire kid goat, minus head, hooves and entrails (except the kidneys), slowly grilled/smoked on an open charcoal grill.
A somewhat similar dish, popular all over the country, is barbacoa, which is sheep meat slowly cooked over an open flame, or more traditionally in a fire pit.
In addition to carne asada, there are several types of beef, chicken and pork, as well as sausages (such as chorizo and moronga) that are grilled during back-yard or picnic-style events, commonly referred to as parrilladas.
These primitive ovens are a common view in Argentine estancias, and their primary function is to bake bread, but they are well suited for roasting meat.
Though not technically a grill, it is a very traditional way of cooking that still requires the great skills of an asador and the gathering of family and friends, which are the essence of asado.
[31] In a Brazilian barbecue, a variety of meats, pork, sausage, and chicken are cooked on a purpose-built churrasqueira, frequently with supports for spits or skewers.
The barbecuing of fish and other seafood such as shellfish, like prawns and rock lobster (colloquially known locally as "crayfish" or just "crays"), has become increasingly popular in Australia over the last few decades.
This is also a popular method for feeding emergency services volunteers, evacuees, and stranded travellers, often with a range of commercially made salads.