There's a story about two females discussing a possible get-together over the coming weekend. The one said to the other: "Whatever we do, let's not have a braai!"

Confused, the second female wanted to know why. Then the first female summarized it as follows: "I usually spend the entire day in the kitchen making braai salads, potatoes, garlic bread, rice, mash and sauce. In-between I marinate the meat, clean the house, wash the dishes, set the table and make sure that the house is 100% visitor ready. When the guests arrive I serve them snacks, dips and beverages. Then my husband spends an hour making fire and braaing the meat. Once everyone has finished eating I serve dessert and then start cleaning the house all over again". The second female was looking a bit confused and then the first female cleared it up: "And after all of this, everyone thanks my husband for his hard work and the wonderful braai!"

Braai salads are just as important as the actual meat on the fire! Even though we (South Africans) are self proclaimed carnivores, the fact of the matter is that even the best meat can taste a little bit neglected without a side portion of potato salad, garden salad or 3 bean salad!

The best thing about braai salads is that is generally quite quick and effortless to make. Sure, one of the all time favourites, the potato salad, requires a bit of time of patience, but other than that it's as easy as taking a quick inventory of your refrigerator and creatively combining a couple of ingredients together. For example: a couple of bananas can be sliced and combined with a tin of condensed milk and a bit of lemon juice for a very interesting (and divine!) salad. This salad can be created in less than 60 seconds!

Don't be afraid to experiment! There is no reason why you cannot add a couple of grapes, pieces of carrot and some pineapple to the default (boring) garden salad to add some colour and taste!

A braai will always remain a South African tradition and it is important that a braai is never regarded as time consuming or a lot of effort. Don't let the preparation for the braai salads spoil the overall experience!