GRILLING: NOT THE NEW BRAAI

We’re hardwired to love gathering around a cooking fire, and no one does that better than the South African braai-nation. But this is way different. It’s a brand-new way of dining and entertaining that South Africans will definitely relate to but haven’t experienced before.

This way of entertaining is for everyone so there’s a grill to suit all pockets and tastes.

On offer is a wide variety of different shapes and sizes. We’ve been lucky to stock the most sought-after portable hand built Konro Grills used in Michelin star restaurants – they’re in such demand, they go really fast so we can only import them in small quantities. There are also gorgeous modern must-have steel-coated Shichirin on their way, which have won the Japanese Good Design Award, specially designed for outdoor grilling, and many more.

As diatomaceous earth is so lightweight, these compact grills are easily portable. Which makes them ideal for camping trips, ticking yet another box for our outdoor nation.

For fuel, the Japanese often use highly prized Binchōtan, a specially processed charcoal which we also offer, but you can use any kind of charcoal, preferably a natural charcoal made without chemicals.

It’s a story that goes back some 20 million years or more, to the Miocene Epoch. Back then, the Sea of Japan was a landlocked body of water. Fed by thermal springs created by volcanic activity, it was an environment ripe for the growth of diatoms, a major group of single-celled planktonic algae. When an explosive bloom of them depleted nutrients in the water and blocked out the sunlight needed for photosynthesis, diatoms started to die off, their remains sinking to the seabed. Those deposits then fed a new generation, which led to another bloom, and so on. As theory has it, this oft-repeated cycle of planktonic boom and bust is what formed the massive strata of diatomaceous earth—also known as diatomite—now found in the area.

Consisting almost entirely of silica, these sedimentary deposits are characterized by their low density and high porosity. Diatomite’s excellent absorbency and insulating properties make it an ideal material for filters, heat-resistant bricks, and grills.