the Poijke Pot

We are now part of a regular Ex-Pat Braai club on a Sunday at Ogoggoro Island. We are the only Non South Africans (and they are all Africaan speakers) in the group but I guess they tolerate us because Wales is a rugby nation as well! After a few weeks of sausages, goat, steaks etc the SAs decide they will treat Carl and Myself to a traditional Poijke. This is the name of the black three legged pot that a stew is cooked in  and it dates back to the great trek of the Boers across Africa. So we are all assigned jobs - we are bringing the Marguaritas and Ice cream and the others various bits and bobs. The great stew cook out begins at 12:00 and the braai is lit and the stew begun. this entails huge amounts of meet being fried with cabbage onions and spices going in afterwards. You can see from all the pictures how seriously it is taken.

HOWEVER, at about 3:00 the sailors who were taking part in a competition come in and they need some room on the braai to cook chops, steak etc, so one of the guys shovels some coal onto the ground and places the poijke on top. 10 minutes later there is the most amazing bang, the pot shoots up into the air and comes back down onto its three legs!! the Concrete had heated up the air had expanded at had exploded- how we weren't all burnt is a miracle. another hour later we all ate the poijke and it was worth the wait.