No, boerewors and braaiwors are NOT the same thing — the government says so

This Heritage Day fires all around SA will be blazing as we collectively cook up a storm over the coals and, for many, wors will be on the menu. But did you know that boerewors and braaiwors aren't one and the same? Or that the recipe for boerewors is regulated by the government?

Boerewors has a specific recipe, as published in the Government Gazette. It must contain a meat content — beef with lamb or pork, or both — of no less than 90%, and a fat content of no more than 30%. It may contain no offal, except in the casing, and no mechanically recovered meat.

Braaiwors is not subject to the same regulations and may contain up to 40% soya. Remember, cheaper wors is not boerewors, so read the labels.

One man who certainly knows his stuff when it comes to boerewors is Delano Jasper.

This 18-year-old university student from Wellington in the Western Cape was recently crowned SA’s 28th boerie champ in the annual Shoprite Checkers Championship Boerewors Competition, which was judged virtually this year by top chefs from the SA Chefs Association.

Jasper was overwhelmed by his win as it was the first time he entered the contest. Yet it’s clearly all in the genes as his mother, Yvonne Blaauw, took top honours in the same competition in 2018.

His secret? “Without revealing too much about my recipe I used top quality meat and spices and believe the ratio of each ingredient plays an important role,” he said.  

How to cook the best boerewors? “You must be patient,” Jasper cautioned. “The fire mustn’t be too hot and you need to turn it often to ensure that it's perfectly cooked.”

Jasper’s favourite way of enjoying SA’s favourite sausage is topped with a generous helping of a homemade onion and tomato “smoor” (relish).

Another great way to serve your boerewors this Braai Day is to skewer pieces of it with colourful peppers, chunks of red onion and cherry tomatoes to create kebabs. You could also try using it as a topping for nachos along with creamy guacamole and a spicy tomato salsa.