In South Africa, the "PotjieKos" is a kind of stew cooked in a cast-iron pot on an open fire. Johannesburg hosts a competition where teams compete for the best Potjiekos title. Professionals and amateurs alike are found at the yearly event. The proceeds go to charity. CGTN's Yolisa Njamela has more.

It's about who makes the best sizzling pot of potjiekos. There're over thirty-five different pots of potjiekos here to compete. Comparatively, most Potjiekos recipes usually take long to cook. But, the end result is remarkable. The dish consists of a variety of ingredients, typically meat and vegetables, layered in a round cast-iron pot and placed on open coals.

YOLISA NJAMELA JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA "This style of cooking dates back to the 1500s and epitomizes South African cuisine."

And it's loved across cultures.

MARIUS DE LA REY RESTAURANT OWNER "So Potjiekos has a very good traditional ring in our country. Most people that have had a potjiekos in some point in time have spent a lot of time around a fire with people that mean a lot to them, this is not something that you can fast track."

The event is geared more towards charity though than hard-core competition.

MARIUS DE LA REY RESTAURANT OWNER "This is a neighbourhood event here. It's a charity function, a lot of the judges here are from restaurants that are supported very well by these local communities, and as judges, we got an opportunity to interface with our communities that are here. We are very impressed with the effort that's put in by all our participant's and it's really an opportunity for us to put back in the community that serves us so well on a regular basis, so we'd give up our Sundays, normally we would be in a restaurant anyway, so it's a privilege for us to be in a community that supports us so well on a daily basis."

BRIDGET VON HOLDT ORGANISER "The beneficiaries would be the local schools in the Parkview area because the Parkview community is so important to us, so we give back to the community. We also make sure that we maintain the park in which we have the potjiekos competition, so we keep the park maintained and then there are a host of beneficiaries."

Here in South Africa, potjiekos is rivalled only by another firm South African favourite - braai, which is grilled meat over open fire. Yolisa Njamela, CGTN, Johannesburg, South Africa.