Biltong Fun Facts: 8 Things You Never Knew About South Africa's Favourite Snack

Biltong is in our name, so it felt only right to give it a post of its own. Here are eight facts to share over your next snack.

1. The name is two old Dutch words

The word comes from Middle Dutch: "bille", a rump cut of meat, and "tonghe", meaning a tongue or strip. So biltong literally means a strip of rump.

2. It is not jerky

People mix them up all the time. Jerky is usually smoked and made from thin, very lean strips. Biltong is not smoked; it is cut from larger pieces and air dried.

3. Vinegar is the secret

Biltong recipes use vinegar, which jerky usually does not. It helps preserve the meat and gives biltong its gentle tang.

4. It takes days, not hours

Traditional biltong hangs for several days in a cool, dry place with plenty of air moving around it. Patience is part of the recipe.

5. It travelled with the pioneers

During the Great Trek in the 1800s, settlers moving inland from the Cape needed food that would keep for weeks. Dried meat was light, filling and lasted, so it became a travelling staple.

6. Beef is classic, but not the only option

Most biltong is beef, with silverside a popular cut. In South Africa you will also find game biltong such as kudu, springbok and ostrich.

7. Droëwors is its sausage cousin

Droëwors means dry sausage. It is a thin beef sausage seasoned with coriander and spices, then dried until it snaps. If you love biltong, try it next.

8. Coriander is the signature flavour

Toasted, crushed coriander seed is the flavour most people recognise in classic biltong and droëwors. It is why a good spice mix matters so much.

Fancy making your own?

Plenty of our customers make biltong at home. All you need is good beef, vinegar, a proper spice mix, hooks and a little patience.

Explore Biltong and Droëwors at Yum Biltong

We stock Freddy Hirsch spice mixes, the blends many South African home butchers rely on, plus hooks to get your first batch hanging.

Not in the mood to wait a week? Grab ready-made droëwors and snack now.

Shop the Range

• Droëwors Authentic Style Original 150g
• Freddy Hirsch Original Biltong Spice 500g
• Freddy Hirsch Biltong Spice Mix Garlic 500g
• Freddy Hirsch Droëwors Spice 500g
• Biltong Hooks Pack of 20
• Freddy Hirsch Plaas Boerewors Spice 500g

Biltong and wors | Biltong and droëwors spices | Biltong making kit

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