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What is Biltong ?

Biltong is South African dried meat. The word comes from Dutch with ‘BIL’ meaning buttock and ‘TONG’ meaning strip. Biltong has been around for centuries; for instance, a more primitive form, the Dutch tassal, was also prepared in certain areas of France during the late Middle Ages. Tassal was also made in Batavia, and made its way to South Africa with the Dutch settlers where it was adapted to the less pungent biltong.

Biltong and Droëwors (dry sausage) have been favourites with South Africans for close on 400 years now. This mildly spiced and salted, air dried meat, has sustained the people of South Africa since the early days of the Voortrekkers.

No Rugby, Cricket, Tennis, Boxing or other sporting event in South Africa - whether it be watched live or on television - is quite complete without a few beers and a good supply of Biltong and Droëwors. It also makes a great travelling companion as it can last for long periods of time with very little attention, always providing sustenance in the absence of other foods or delicacies.

There is much debate on whether game meat (venison) or beef makes better biltong and both have their pros and cons. I personally prefer fatty beef biltong although the lean game biltong is certainly healthier for you.

In the home it can be used in a multitude of ways to compliment other dishes: thinly sliced as a filling for omelettes, sliced or shredded as a filling for pancakes or crepes, in salads, and of course, the South African farmer's favourite: plenty of shredded Biltong on a slice of freshly baked bread with plenty of butter. We have included a few Recipes with Biltong which you will find to be quite delicious.

In the past farmers used a whole Beef or Venison carcass for Biltong and "Droëwors" , but today the beef buttock - consisting of the silverside (from which 'ronde' or 'predikantsbiltong' and 'regte' biltong are made), topside and thick flank is often used. The finest biltong is the 'garingbiltong' made from the eye muscles running down both sides of the backbone and which are cut whole from a side of beef. The most tender is the 'binnebiltong' or 'ouma se biltong' (grandmother's biltong) which is made from the fillet.

There are a multitude of recipes and methods used today to make biltong. Many of these have been passed down from generation to generation. The good news is that it is really simple to make your own biltong, and the principles which you will use are basically the same regardless of which recipe or method you choose to adopt. One thing is sure, like many other recipes, the best biltong is made with the best ingredients.

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