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The rainbow nation!

This is what Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the people of South Africa.

South Africa is such a diverse country, rich in races, culture, background, nationalities, religion and languages that it indeed reminds one of a rainbow which brings all the “colours” together under one word, HOPE.

When it comes to food it is exactly the same. Not only will you find diversity of the indigenous cultures but you will also find the influence of the Dutch (the Afrikaners), the English, the Cape Malay, the Muslims but also the Indian.

There is one classic delicacy that ALL South Africans like and that is “biltong”!

What is biltong?

Biltong is basically meat which is air dried and makes your mouth water and is for sure the most loved snack for South Africans.

Beef, game and even ostrich and crocodile meat is used to make biltong. When dried, these pieces of meat is cut into strips ready to eat.

The word biltong is made up from two Dutch (Afrikaans) words;

Bille – buttock – the best part to make biltong from
Tonghe – strip of tongue – the appearance of sliced biltong

Biltong is not just a snack, it is a healthy snack as it is rich in protein, low in sugar, low in carbs and for sure gluten free. It is waiting for you to sink your teeth into.

The history

Biltong has been around for many years, long before refrigerators. The first natives of South Africa, the Khoisan, had to find a way to preserve their meat. They did it by adding salt to the meat and then to hang it outside on a tree where it could air dry.

With the arrival of European settlers in the Cape the process was adopted and they added their own twist by adding more spices and vinegar.

The Dutch (the Afrikaner) migrated from Cape Town inland to avoid the British rule. These farmers made use of ox wagons and therefor had to find solutions for keeping their food from perishing. Air dried meat was the perfect solution. They named these pieces of meat “biltong”

Millions of South Africa locally and expats eats biltong

Biltong goes where South Africans goes and the rest of the world is catching on!

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Can South Africans go without eating biltong?

No!
With South Africans spreading their wings Biltong is available in so many countries. My brother from Thailand buys biltong locally and so does my son who lives in Ireland.

The first thing South Africans search for is “where to buy biltong”. If they cannot find a place they simple just make their own.

A week seldom goes by without buying biltong in our household.

How to prepare biltong

You might think that making biltong is easy but it is actually a medley of culinary knowledge.

Ingredients

• 2 kg meat
• Coarse salt
• White or brown vinegar

Ingredients for spice

• ¼ cup coriander seeds (the first secret ingredient)
• ½ tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoons peppercorns (optional)
• ½ tablespoon mixed spice
• ½ tablespoon powdered or whole cloves (the second secret ingredient)

The 4 easy steps of biltong making:

The meat is cut into thin and long strips, +/- 2 cm thick, 4 cm wide and 20 – 30 cm long. The size of the strips will depend on what you can get out of the piece of meat you are going to use.

The strips are cut along the grain of the meat.

The strips are then evenly salted with coarse salt and left for two hours.

After the two hours the salt is brushed of the strips and they are then either dipped or brushed with vinegar. The vinegar makes the meat soft and helped with the curing. Don’t wash the salt from the strips.

The strips are then rubbed with the spice mixture and hanged freely in a dry and well-ventilated area. You can use paperclips to hook the meat to make it easier to hang on a line. You should hang it in an area where there is no insects.

The biltong will be ready anything from 5 to 7 days. It is normally ready when the meat have lost 50% of its weight. The meat will be much firmer and will have a deep red to brown color.

What makes biltong special is that you can choose how you want it. Do you want it wet (moist) or dry (without any moist). You can also choose if you want it to be lean or with a bit of fat.

Prep time: 3 hours including waiting period with salt
Curing time: 5 to 7 days

If the biltong is packed correctly it can last for months. You can either vacuum pack it or store it in a cool dry area in a brown bag. I keep our biltong in the fridge or freezer for months.

How to eat biltong

There are endless ways to eat biltong. We prefer to eat it on its own as slices or to serve it together with blue cheese on a cheeseboard.
You can use biltong in salads, in omelettes, on pizzas, on a sandwich and you can even make biltong soup.

If you have been to South Africa and you have not eaten biltong you have for sure visited the wrong South Africa.

Wozza Meat Co

I would have loved to make some biltong to show you step by step but unfortunately we do not have a place to hang it where we are currently staying.

The first shop we discovered when we moved to Ballito last week was the butchery. Just by walking pass the window display your move starts watering.

Today I am sharing this amazing shop with you.

Owner:
Warwick Taylor

Background:
Warwick grew up on a farm as a young boy. During a shooting accident he lost his one eye. After his National Service duty he found a job in a butchery. He then also qualified as a block man. Years later he grabbed the opportunity to open his own butchery, Wozza Meat Co.

The love he have for meat he clearly brings to his customers. The cherry on the cake is the biltong he sells from his shop. It is to die for!

Situated:
Shop 205c, Level 2, Absolute Pets Ballito Junction, 4399 Leonora Dr, Dolphin Coast, 4420

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I can recommend my fellow Steemians to at least make biltong once in their household.

• It is easy
• It is not expensive
• It is yummy and

they will be part of the South Africans that says;

“Save Mother Earth as it is the only place with biltong”

15% to steem4nigeria.

I invite;
@ngoenyi
@sailawana
@ishayachris