What is Biltong

Simply put, Biltong is cured and dried meat, a product unique to South Africa. The process of making Biltong is fairly simple, and involves dipping the meat in vinegar, Covering it in spices, and hanging it to dry.

The word “Biltong” comes from Dutch, it simply means “bil” (Buttock/ Rump) “tong” (strip).
It is believed that Biltong comes from the Dutch settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 17th century. When the Dutch settlers (Voortrekkers) moved inland in the "Great Trek" they needed a way to prepare their food in a way that made it easy to carry and resistant to decay.  By curing the meat, they were able to preserve it for weeks.

Biltong is a healthy (and tasty) snack. Biltong has a very high protein content, as the protein in Biltong is preserved by drying the meat, rather than lost due to cooking. Each 100g of Biltong contains up to 65g of protein. Biltong is also a good source of iron, and typically has less than 2% fat. Biltong has a total calorific value of 416 Cal per 100 gram.

These days you can find Biltong in just about every liquor store, supermarket, or bar in South Africa. Biltong is made in a variety of flavours, from traditional (coriander and salt) and spicy (chilli bites), to garlic, and even chutney.

To find out how to make biltong have a look at the how to make biltong page, for a detailed description (with plenty of photos)