ABSTRACT
The braai in South Africa is a leisure pastime that bears the hallmarks of a widely shared, politically encoded sensory practice. This chapter uses Jan Scannell’s business ventures as a case study of commensal, commercial nation-building. Jan Scannell’s claims about braai led to taste and consumption becoming an arena in which South African heritage was negotiated. The chapter shows that his projects triggered debate that raised important questions about the meaning and social significance of Heritage Day and the slate of national commemorative days in general. By advocating for the braai as heritage, his projects sparked important public debate about how and which cultural forms could be installed as heritage. The chapter discusses the taste and cuisines generally, and then outlines a history of South African national cuisines in particular before unfolding the shifts and evolutions of Jan Scannell’s braai-oriented promotions projects and their contestation.
