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You are here: Home / South African products / Biltong – it’s what makes us South African!

Biltong – it’s what makes us South African!

by Jeanne Horak on July 13, 2004 10 Comments in South African products

Biltong © J Horak 2004

South Africans (and Zimbabweans) have known it for years – and it seems that the rest of the world is finally coming around to our way of thinking. Check out this brief article in today’s Metro newspaper in London:

“Parents trying to soothe their teething babies are turning to air-dried spiced meat. Butcher Henry Viviers can hardly keep up with the demand for his biltong speciality at his shop in Brighton. Most of the demand is coming from expat Zimbabweans but British mothers and fathers are now catching on. ‘When children were teething the first thing we’d give them is a piece of biltong,’ he said. ‘Some English think it’s unhealthy but it’s not.’”

Well, on the topic of the last sentence, I guess I won’t spoil the story for Henry and tell him about my friends who gave their first child Jason a stick of biltong to chew on while he was teething. Jason was sitting on the lawn playing nicely and gumming on his biltong while their Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy was keeping an eye on things. Mom turned her back to pour some tea and turned around just in time to witness Jason companionably letting the puppy have a gnaw of the biltong before popping it back between his own gums. Mom suppressed the urge to banish the puppy – she reasoned that Jason’s immune system would be stronger for the experience – but clearly she kept a closer watch on things after that!! So the article is correct then – it’s not a weird and isolated custom, but widespread practice to let teething babies at the southern tip of Africa gnaw on dried raw meat. We breed them tough. In fact, some businesses even advertise teething biltong especially for babies – it is made without the salt which would be harmful to a baby. But what is this biltong that we Southern Africans are apparently weaned on and never get out of our system?


Well, simply put, it is cured, spiced, air-dried meat. The name is an Afrikaans word which comes from bil, (from Middle Dutch bille) meaning buttock/rump + tong, (from Middle Dutch tonghe) meaning tongue. The name is descriptive – biltong literally means strips (or tongues) of meat from the animal’s rump which is spiced, cured and dried. Biltong was developed as a means of preserving meat so that there would be meat available during the lean hunting season (many African tribes still use a version of biltong in this context), as well as to provide a non-perishable source of meat to early pioneers as they travelled inland. Traditionally, the whole beef carcass was used to make biltong, although today silverside, topside and flank are most commonly used. Superior quality biltong can be made from the “rugstring” – the strips of muscle running either side of the animals’ spine – or from the fillet. Although beef is the meat most commonly used, it is also not unusual to see ostrich and various types of game (kudu, springbok, blesbok and impala being some of the varieties available). Pork and lamb/mutton are not used, but I have seen both chicken and tuna biltong (both look a little strange and because of the smaller cuts of meat used, they tend to be really dry). The meat is cured using salt, then washed with vinegar and finally seasoned with spices (usually salt, pepper, sugar and coriander) – the exact ingredients and their ratio is often a closely guarded family or professional secret! After this, an S-shaped hook is hooked through one end of the meat strip and it is hung up to dry somewhere dry, breezy and well-lit (but not in direct sun). Traditionally, this might have been along the beams of a roof or even along wires strung between tree branches, but for the modern day home biltong chef, it is usually in a home-made biltong box (basically a box with solid of mesh sides, a rail for hanging the meat and a light source) or in a commercially made drying cabinet. The slower the meat is dried, the more tender the texture, so no need to rush it! How dry you want your meat is also a matter of personal preference – I like mine very “wet”, rather like prosciutto, while my husband prefers his harder and dryer – apparently with practice, one need only squeeze the outside of a stick of biltong to be able to determine how moist it is on the inside! In any event, the process will take a few days so don’t be in a hurry! [Question: is this the African version of Slow Food? :o)] Another form of dried meat prevalent in the USA is jerky (developed by the native American tribes and called “charqui” – jerky seems to be a corruption of this word). Often, as a last resort when trying to explain the concept of biltong to English friends (and trying to reassure them that it is not total insanity to pop dried raw meat into your mouth!), I use beef jerky as an analogy, but after a bit of research for this post I have found that this is not a 100% accurate analogy. For a start, take a look at what the Wikipedia definition of biltong says: “Though its keeping properties are the same, it is a finer form of jerked meat than American jerky. The best biltong has been compared to the Prosciutto of Italy.” OK, now I don’t want to start any intercontinental dried-meat rivalry, but that does make me rather proud of our biltong!! Seriously though, as far as I can see, the main differences between biltong and jerky are that:

  • Jerky often involves some sort of smoking process (the native Americans would smoke it in their tents over the cooking fire) or the addition of smoke essence, whereas biltong does not use smoke.
  • With jerky, the meat is first sliced before being dried, whereas with biltong the meat is dried in fairly substantial 30cm+ (12”+) strips and then sliced. This would explain the more moist, prosciutto-like texture of the biltong.
  • Different use of spices – while biltong keeps it simple, jerky can involve any and all of teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, chilli powder, soy sauce and corn syrup – there is almost always an element of sweetness which biltong definitely does not have.

So although they are similar, they are not identical (and I leave it to the individual to decide which he/she likes better!) Now that I have you all in the mood for biltong, where can you get some? Well, there are some excellent sites available telling you everything you need to know about making your own – from meat selection to spices to biltong box making. In particular, check out St Marcus,  Biltongbox, Shebeen and Mark Blumberg, all of which include recipes and tips. You can also check out Brian’s recent post over at Kitsch’nZinc and see his recipe as well as his really novel use of an old computer! For the more timid among us (like me!!), you could also buy the stuff ready-made. If you are lucky enough to be in South Africa, every butcher, supermarket and corner café will have some, but you would do well to search out a specialist biltong store as the quality is usually better.

My favourite places to buy biltong are at the biltong shop in the Petroport at Storms River Bridge on the N2 highway between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay – always worth a stop – and a biltong shop near the Tourist Info kiosk in Oudtshoorn – no idea of the name I’m afraid! I tend to prefer sliced biltong or biltong nuggets while hubby prefers the while sticks which he can then slice himself or gnaw on, as the mood takes him. Again, this is a matter of personal taste! If you are not fortunate enough to be in SA, biltong is readily available on the Net at places like:

  • Biltong USA in the US;
  • Biltong Direct in the UK (I also hear that Village Butchers in Southfields, London does good biltong);
  • Satooz in Australia (or if you are feeling adventurous, check out Billabong Jerky where they will happily supply you with kangaroo, crocodile and emu jerky – but bear in mind this is jerky and not biltong!); or
  • Safari Biltong in New Zealand.

I’m sure there are others places eager to sell you biltong – but I thought I’d give you a few just get you started on the right track. Phew – and to think I thought this would be a quick, easy post!?! But I hope all my detailed explanations and the info on some of the linked sites will provide you with a better idea of why putting this particular type of raw meat into your mouth is NOT total insanity – in fact, it is so safe, even a child could handle it 😉 Generations of Saffers and Zimbos can’t be wrong!

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  1. Bron says

    July 14, 2004 at 4:02 pm

    Having just arrived from SA I am happy to report that biltong makers have not just rested on their peppercorns and stayed with the old ways. There are two other biltong products which I think are delicious. Vark Ore or Pigs ears which are large slices of biltong which when dry, curl up at the ends and my personal favourite, biltong patties which look like thin burger patties and come in a range of flavours. Love your site girl but in future will read it with a snack in hand as now I am starving!!

    Reply
  2. Jeanne says

    July 14, 2004 at 4:51 pm

    Welcome to the Big Smoke, Bron! Glad to hear you are enjoying the blog – we will have to rope you in sometime as guest blogger. How about a recipe for that fabulous Balti vegetable curry of yours? Mmmmm!

    Reply
  3. anthony says

    July 17, 2004 at 12:04 pm

    Jerky used to be my road trip food of choice for a while there, but after getting through a few packets with all that condensed meat, I’d be completely feral. Had to be subdued with a dart gun.
    Got a very undeserved chewin’ baccy and moonshine image- good job for rehabilitating it. (jerky, not me)

    Reply
  4. Andrew says

    July 26, 2005 at 11:27 pm

    If anyone wants the best biltong in the UK, you’ve got to try Mr B’s biltong. My local SA shop, Bizzi B’s in Kingston on Surbiton Rd sells Mr B’s biltong, droewors and boerewors. I’ve tried the biltong at nearby SA Shops and none of them match the quality and taste of Mr B’s.
    I’ve definitely found the place for my billie fix.

    Reply
  5. Tami says

    November 5, 2005 at 1:32 pm

    Mr B’s definitely has the best tasting biltong range (and boerewors) in the UK. I have tried numerous other brands and none can compare to the truly original great taste. Also the best value for money….cheaper than most and the price has not gone up for the past three years. If you haven’t got it at your local SA Shop, ask them to get it…you won’t be sorry.

    Reply
  6. Dave says

    December 7, 2006 at 8:49 am

    The best place I’ve found for biltong in the UK is a local SA butchers called Blue Rock in a village called Bisley (near Guildford) – it’s easy to miss the shop as you’re driving through!
    He’s just started selling online as well – http://www.bluerockbutchers.com and I’ve ordered through the website and got it the next day!
    This stuff is so good! My recommendation, try the peri-peri flavour!

    Reply
  7. iheartjerky says

    August 9, 2008 at 3:41 am

    I got a recipe for Biltong from http://BeefJerkyRecipes.com today. I am going to make it this weekend. Is Biltong supposed to be cut after it is dried? That is not what this recipe calls for. Does anybody have any tips for me? Or alterations to this recipe:
    http://beefjerkyrecipes.com/meat-type/beef-jerky/biltong-beef-jerky/
    Any help would be greaty appreciated.

    Reply
  8. Ian says

    June 13, 2010 at 1:59 am

    I make biltong here in Sydney Australia and after 2 days hanging in my laundry it is ready to eat. Well, certainly for us vultures that can’t get enough. Would not leave it longer than 5 days. I have just tried a batch using smokey paprika and cayenne pepper. I have built a box for drying as when it is cold and wet it will not dry without assistance.

    Reply
  9. William says

    July 18, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    Thanks for the links. I’m in Japan right now and there are absolutely no biltong shops anywhere. I’m now desperate enough to try making it myself. Desperate? I suffer from a bad case of “black thumb”, not as in killing plants (plants and I get along well, and I have a thriving little herb garden on my balcony), but rather “black thumb” as in I have no mechanical aptitude and even looking at a hammer makes my thumb ache because I know it’s just a matter of time before I hit it.
    I’m dreading actually trying to make a biltong box, but I’ve been without biltong for nearly 3 years now and I’m desperate… any recipes for biltong mix would be GREATLY appreciated since I’m certain my first mix is probably going to be too salty… but better that than the meat going off, especially at Japanese meat prices!

    Reply
  10. Rebecka says

    September 2, 2010 at 1:04 am

    Hello Cook Sister,
    I recently had the pleasure of eating Biltong for the first time. A friend of my husband was traveling on business in Botswana and brought some back for us to try. I love the American version of jerky and I was thrilled to try these new and exotic meats. We had Kudo, Rooibok, Giraffe, Hippo and Lion Biltong. I was a bit apprehensive about the lion meat but tried it and found that it was my favorite. I’ve written about Biltong on my blog. I would appreciate any suggestions or comments you may have.

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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