Category:South African Cuisine

Sub Category:Meat - Traditional

Biltong, a traditional South African delicacy, is strips of salted dried meat, most commonly beef but venison and ostrich  are also used. Although other countries have similar versions, such as Switzerland’s “Bunderfleisch”, northern Italy’s “Bresaula”, America’s “Jerky” and Mexico’s “Carne Secca”, nowhere is it found in exactly the same form as in South Africa.

The word comes from Dutch with “BIL” meaning buttock and “TONG” meaning strip. Biltong has been a favourite with South Africans for close on 400 years now. This mildly spiced and salted, air dried meat, has sustained South Africans since the beginning of time.

Who first preserved excess meat from the hunt by smearing it with spices and hanging it out to dry? In this semi-arid country, the San would almost certainly have dried a portion of meat from each kill as insurance against lean times. Black Africans have traditionally preserved extra meat by drying it in strips, a handy shape for dropping into the stew. The Dutch brought the recipe for tassal meat from the Old World, rubbing strips of meat with salt, pepper and coriander, covering them with vinegar to preserve them. They later added saltpetre to the mix, sprinkled vinegar over and hung the meat up to dry. The Voortrekkers made of this customary food a delicacy.

 

No sporting occasion in South Africa - whether it be watched live or on television - is quite complete without a few beers and a good supply of biltong. It also makes a great traveling 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 are typically three types of biltong - beef, venison and ostrich. All are good, but some people prefer one above the other. Lamb, pork and poultry are not used for biltong.

Beef is probably the most popular and the easiest to obtain, from a perspective of making your own. The buttock - consisting of the silverside, topside and thick flank is normally used. The finest biltong is 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 “ouma se biltong” (grandmother’s biltong) which is made from the fillet. Whichever cut you use, always choose fresh, lean meat from a young animal. In warmer climates with a high humidity the strips of meat are usually cut thinner, while beef is usually cut thicker than venison.

There are a multitude of recipes and methods used today to make biltong. Many of these are 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. The cheaper cuts of meat often contain an excess amount of sinew, collagen and binding tissue which will yield an often tough and “stringy” produce.

Here is a drying box  that I made and use, it works very well.

Always use freshly cut meat.

In the home biltong can be used in a multitude of ways to compliment other dishes: thinly sliced as a filling for omlettes, sliced or shredded as a filling for pancakes or crêpes, in salads, and shredded on a slice of freshly baked bread with plenty of butter.

Preventing Mould

A few simple precautions will prevent the occurrence of mould. Biltong, especially the “wettish” type, can be affected by mould after it has been purchased and not consumed within a few days. It can also occur while making your own biltong. The following are the most common causes of mould and include some tips on how to prevent it:

• Mould is more likely to occur during hot and humid summer periods, especially at coastal areas. The “Biltong Making Season” is usually the winter months, but this need not necessarily hold true. Biltong can be made all year round, just avoid periods when particularly hot and humid conditions are forecast.
• Mould is very likely to occur if strips of meat touch each other during the hanging period. Special care should therefore be taken to ensure that each strip of meat hangs freely. Remember, if mould starts up it rapidly spreads to the rest of the batch.
• Mould is also more likely to form on meat that has been vacuum sealed or pre-packed and been lying in its own blood for a few days on the cold racks in shops. This holds especially true for pre-packed wors.  If you only have access to vacuum or pre-packed meat, establish whether the bloodiness has gone “tacky” when you unseal it. If it has, beware, this is a prime mould stimulant. You will need to wipe the meat thoroughly with a cloth dipped in vinegar, and pat it dry with a kitchen towel before starting with your preparations for making biltong. The best is to always buy fresh meat at the butcher.
• Do not hang meat in a dank outbuilding or a musty room which has been closed for months on end. The fresher the air and the better the ventilation, the less danger there will be of mould contamination.
• Many people hang their biltong in the kitchen and there is nothing wrong with that. Take care however, if the kitchen is very compact, the steam from the cooking pots, kettles and the wash-up can create unacceptably high humid conditions.
• Never hang biltong in air-conditioned areas as the artificial ventilation can contribute towards mould.
• If you detect the first signs of mould forming you can save your batch by acting quickly. Wipe of all traces of mould with cloth which has been dipped in vinegar. This kills the mould spores and you can continue hanging the meat to dry.
• If mould has severely contaminated a batch of hanging biltong it will not dry out, irrespective of how long it hangs, give it to the dogs.