Braaing Long for Wolrd Record

We   believe the word braai   really has a monopoly in South Africa.  The South Africans are so obsessed that   they love to keep all the braai records   all for themselves. What better can they do   other than think and do braai   during Braai Day. Braai is considered as a part of South African National Heritage. Hence   the word truly deserves all the attention from the people there.

Braai4Heritage’s Jan Scannell  popularly known as Jan Braai  used 300 Kg of meat  and spent 28 hours,30 minutes nonstop braaing   at  V& A Water Front . This attempt by Scannell helped him smash the previous record  for the Longest  Braai Marathon set by a German   which had  lasted for 28 hours, 26 minutes . Scannell like many other South Africans was very particular that braai records are meant to be  for South Africa only. So considering that  before his own attempt the braai record belonged to Germany he was quick and determined enough to take it back and bring it  to where it rightfully belongs.

Braai is an ancient and traditional cooking method of early South Africans. This cooking method reminds them of their heritage and culture. Scannell was interrogated as to whether  he was prepared to braai again after having officially beaten the world record. Scannell  was believed to have told that  he would continue to braai for a few more hours. The entire stretch of 28 hours and 30 minutes was very hard  and there were many instances in which he felt dead tired. But even on those occasions  he never had the slightest thought of quitting the process.

 Scannell said his record attempt was more than about meat on a grill. He believes the local tradition could be used to bridge the country’s cultural divide. “It’s a call to action for 50 million South Africans to light fires. Braai for National Heritage Day, this is our national heritage. That has been the single core reason for Scannell to stay day and night awake   to continue braaing so that through his act he wanted to implicitly speak dimensions about braai’s importance on the South African heritage.

Scannell was not allowed any direct help, although he was allowed an assistant to keep the fire going. He was only allowed five minute bathroom breaks every hour.   Also, all the meat had to be consumed. While not many may want a piece of braai meat early in the morning, students on their way home after a night out made sure that there were no leftovers.   Scannell decided to take on this challenge to raise awareness for  Braai4 Heritage  and to “get 15 million people to braai on September 24” on Heritage Day, which is also known as Braai Day.

  The Braai4Heritage initiative aims to get South Africans to unite around braai fires on National Heritage Day and celebrate their common identity as citizens of this land. The event, at Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred Waterfront , was sponsored by such brands as Karan Beef, Freddy Hirsch, Klipdrift, CADAC, Castle and Fry’s.

The  Longest Barbecue Marathon  lasted for 28 hours,30 minutes and was set by  Braai4 Heritage’s  Jan Scannell at V & A Water Front, Cape Town, South Africa on September 19, 2010.