South Africans vie for Guiness World Record in barbecuing

DW (English)

In Pretoria, 2,500 people armed with tongs and sausages set out to beat Japan's record of 2,220. But beyond the rivalry, it's about pride, as many say barbecuing, or braai, carries deep cultural meaning in South Africa. DW's Dianne Hawker was there to take it all in and have a taste.

Transcript

00:00You might call this a barbecue, but here we know it as a braai.

00:05And South Africa is hoping to set a new Guinness World Record

00:09for the largest number of people cooking over an open flame simultaneously.

00:16Believe it or not, it's not as simple as just turning on the grill and showing up.

00:22All cooks have to actively turn their sausages for the same five minutes over a lit flame.

00:28With adjudicator Glenn Pollard doing a thorough assessment using gate entry data,

00:35statements from event stewards and film.

00:38The final piece of evidence I need to review is video evidence taken from overhead and from the sides

00:44so I can review that to make sure that those numbers match up everything that's written in the statement.

00:49This Guinness World Record attempt takes place on South Africa's Heritage Day,

00:54a day that celebrates the country's cultural diversity.

00:57Many people dress in colourful African print like what I'm wearing today

01:02and many others braai for the occasion.

01:10For many of those attending, breaking the record is a matter of pride

01:16due to the cultural importance of braaiing.

01:18So braai, it's a proudly South African term, you know.

01:24We use braai to describe quite a number of things, such as the meat, people coming together.

01:30It's people coming together to celebrate.

01:33I think for us, like, it's a big South African thing, to braai.

01:37It's like, it's our way of every weekend making food.

01:42Lots of different cultures in South Africa, and I think there's one thing that everyone does really well in South Africa,

01:46and that's braai.

01:47Braai for me is home. Braai for me is family time.

01:49Braai for me is spending time with my loved ones.

01:54While it could take a few days for the final results to be released,

01:58organisers already view the event as a success.

02:0275% of the revenue from ticket sales will go to the Mbumba Foundation,

02:07a charity that plans to feed 1 million people on World Food Day in 2026.

02:12We need to realise that it is within our power to make a difference,

02:17and we want to use events like this to say, let us get together, let us celebrate,

02:22but beyond celebrating, let us make a difference.

02:25The Guinness World Record judge is expected to make his final decision within a few days.

02:32In the meantime, these South Africans will wait, tongues at the ready, for the final result.

02:38The Canadian

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