The Dutch settlers who arrived in South Africa during the 17th Century bought with them the recipe for drying meat. 'Biltong' is meat that has been cured through a drying process by marinating it in herbs and spices then hanging the strips until ready to eat. Meat preservation goes back to prehistoric times when mankind discovered that a combination of drying and salting kept meat edible for months.
Meats such as beef, game and ostrich from commercial farms are used to make biltong. The meat is cut into strips, sliced along the grain of the muscle or alternatively cut into flat pieces across the grain. The meat is then spiced and hung in a drying room until cured/dried. Some prefer the centre a little 'raw' others prefer it to be very dry.
Prior to the introduction of refrigeration, the curing process was used to preserve all kinds of meat in South Africa. However today biltong is most commonly made from beef, primarily due to its widespread availability and lower cost relative to game. For finest cuts, sirloin is used or steaks cut from the hip such as topside or silverside. Other cuts can be used, but are not as high in quality.
Biltong's popularity has spread to countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, all of which have large South African expatriate communities. Where there is a South African community, there is biltong!
Biltong produced in South Africa may not be imported into Britain, but there are South Africans now living in Britain who have bought across with them their own traditional family recipe and are producing the tastiest biltong for the UK market. If you haven't yet tasted biltong produced by Cruga, then visit our
Cruga Biltong site and place your order of Beef or Game biltong in a choice of pack sizes.