A quick guide to biltong
A brief history of Biltong.
The word “biltong” is from the Dutch “bil” (rump)
and “tong” (strip or tongue).
Biltong as we know this delicacy today, is a rich
inheritance from pioneering South African forefathers
who sun dried meat during their trek across the African
Subcontinent.
In 17th century South Africa, Dutch settlers bought
recipes for dried meat from Europe, as the need for
preservation in the new colony was pressing. Building
up herds of livestock took a long time and although
there was an abundance of native game around it could
take hunters days to track and kill a large animal such
as an eland and they were then faced with the problem
of preserving a large mass of meat in a short time in a
hot climate.
Unfortunately for the settlers, iceboxes had not yet
been invented. Desiccation solved the problem. Biltong,
as we understand it today, evolved from the dried meat
carried by the wagon-travelling Voortrekkers, who
needed stocks of durable food as they migrated from
Cape Town north-eastward (away from British rule)
into the interior of Southern Africa during the Great
Trek. The raw meat was preserved from decay and
insects within 2 days and within 2 weeks it would be
black and rock-hard after it had fully cured.
The Basic Ingredients
The most common ingredients of biltong are:
Vinegar
Salt
Coriander
Black Pepper
Sugar / brown sugar
Other ingredients often found in biltong include:
Garlic
Ground chili pepper
Nutmeg
Onion powder
Saltpetre
Worcestershire Sauce
Bicarb of soda
Balsamic Vinegar
Malt Vinegar
How its made...
Step 1: The Meat
Today, biltong is most commonly made from beef, pri-
marily due to its widespread availability. (Although prior
to the introduction of refrigeration, this curing process
was used to preserve all kinds of meat in South Africa).
Other types of biltong commonly found in South Africa
include:
• Game such as kudu and springbok
• Ostrich (Very red meat, often resembles game)
• Chicken
• Fish (more commonly, shark biltong)
Step 2: The Preparation
The chosen meat is marinated in a vinegar solution
(traditionally cider vinegar but balsamic works just as
well) for a couple of hours, and is poured off before the
meat is flavoured.
A traditional spice mix/rub consists of equal amounts
of rock salt, brown sugar, coriander and black pepper.
This mix is ground roughly together and generously
sprinkled onto the meat and rubbed in. Saltpetre can be
added as an optional preservative and this would only
be necessary for a wet biltong that is not going to be
frozen.
Step 3: Drying the meat
Biltong is typically dried out in the cold air (rural areas),
wooden or cardboard boxes (urban areas), or climate
controlled drying rooms (commercial preparation).
The flavours produced depend entirely on the variety of
spices used in the preparation.
Biltong can be made in colder climates by making
use of an electric lamp to dry the meat, however care
should be taken to adequately ventilate so that mould
does not begin to form on the drying meat.
A traditional slow dry will deliver a medium cure in
roughly 4 days. An electric fan-assisted oven set to 40-
70°C can dry the meat in roughly 4 hours (be sure to
leave the oven door open a fraction to allow the moist
air to escape) Slow dried meat is considered by some
to be tastier however oven dried meat is ready to eat a
day or two after preparation.
