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Biltong

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Biltong
Sliced beef biltong
TypeDried meat
Place of originSouthern Africa
Main ingredientsMeat
Ingredients generally used
  • Black pepper
  • Coriander
  • Salt
  • Vinegar
Homemade beef biltong sticks

Biltong is a form of air-dried, cured meat which originated in South Africa, and from there spread to other Southern African countries -- (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Zambia). Various types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef to game meats such as ostrich or kudu. The cut may also vary being either fillets of meat cut into strips following the grain of the muscle, or flat pieces sliced across the grain. It is related to beef jerky, as both are spiced, dried meats; however, the typical ingredients, taste, and production processes may differ. Biltong is air-dried, which gives it a unique texture and taste, whereas jerky is heated to at least 160F.

The word "biltong" is from the Afrikaans bil ("buttock") and tong ("strip" or "tongue").[1]

Origins

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Meat preservation as a survival technique dates back to ancient times.

Meat can be preserved by curing it in salt, brine, or vinegar as well as saltpetre (potassium nitrate). The potassium nitrate kills Clostridium botulinum, the deadly bacterium that causes botulism, while the acidity of the vinegar inhibits its growth. According to the World Health Organization, C. botulinum will not grow in acidic conditions (pH less than 4.6), and so the toxin will not be formed in acidic foods.[2]

The antimicrobial properties of certain spices have also been drawn upon since ancient times. The spices introduced to biltong by the Dutch include pepper, coriander, and cloves.[3]

According to local lore, biltong was originally made in the 17th century by Dutch pioneers who would place large strips of raw meat under horses' saddles to dry with the horses' salty sweat. This salty sweat preserved the meat while also tenderizing it from the shocks of riding. This "drying" process helped to provide a reliable and rich source of protein that would keep for months.[4][5][6] Others speculate that the early Dutch settlers simply adopted a local custom of preserving meat. This is unlikely, however, as the use of horses did not begin until the colonization of South Africa. The horse was part of the colonial legacy, including diseases, microbes, weeds, domesticated plants and animals that accompanied European settlement in southern Africa from the mid-seventeenth century. The early modern colonial state that emerged in the nineteenth century was based, at least in part, on the power of the horse in agriculture, military and communications.[7]

In January 2017, a research group at the University of Beira Interior in Portugal published a study about the antimicrobial properties of coriander oil[8] (coriander being one of the main spices in the most basic of biltong recipes) against 12 bacterial strains, and found that 10 of the 12 strains of bacteria were killed with a relatively mild concentration of coriander oil (1.6%). In the two strains which were not effectively killed, Bacillus cereus and Enterococcus faecalis, the coriander oil reduced their growth significantly.[9]

The need for food preservation in Southern Africa was pressing. Iceboxes and refrigerators had not been invented yet, and building up herds of livestock took a long time. With game in abundance in Southern Africa, however, traditional methods were called upon to preserve the meat of large African animals including the eland.

The meat was prepared with vinegar and spices then hung to be air dried for a fortnight during the winter, when the colder temperatures further inhibited bacterial and fungal growth. Once suitably dried, the biltong was ready for packing in cloth bags which allowed air circulation to help prevent mould.[citation needed]

Ingredients

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The most common ingredients of biltong are:[10][11]

Modern-day ingredients sometimes include balsamic vinegar or malt vinegar, sugar, dry ground chilli peppers, nutmeg, paprika, lemon juice, garlic, bicarb soda, Worcestershire sauce,[12] onion powder, and saltpetre.

Meat

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Prior to the introduction of refrigeration, the curing process was used to preserve all kinds of meat in Southern Africa, but biltong is most commonly made today from beef, primarily because of its widespread availability and lower cost relative to game. For the finest cuts, fillet, sirloin, or steaks cut from the hip, such as topside or silverside, are used. Other cuts can be used, but are not as high in quality.

Biltong can also be made from:

Preparation

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Traditionally, biltong was only made during the cold of winter when the risk of bacterial growth and mould would be at a minimum. Some recipes require the meat to be marinated in a vinegar solution (grape vinegar is traditional but balsamic and cider also work very well) for a few hours, then the vinegar is poured off before the meat is flavoured with salt and spices. The spice mix is sprinkled liberally over the meat and rubbed in. Saltpetre is optional and can be added as an extra preservative (necessary only for wet biltong that is not going to be frozen). The meat should then be left for a further few hours (or refrigerated overnight) and any excess liquid poured off before the meat is hung in the dryer.

Other recipes, which were handed down from generation to generation, require the biltong to be left overnight in the vinegar, salt, and spice solution (between 12 and 24 hours).[16] The spice mix traditionally consists of equal amounts of rock salt, whole coriander (slightly roasted), roughly ground black pepper, and brown sugar.[17] The vinegar serves as a primary inhibitor of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, according to the World Health Organization,[18] while the salt, coriander, pepper, and cloves all have antimicrobial properties.[19]

Drying

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Biltong is always an air-dried meat. When heat is added, it is called 'jerky.'

Traditionally, biltong was made during the cold winters of the South African highveld for best results. The cold, dry air typically dried out the biltong much more effectively, and in the best possible food safety environment. Mould and bacterial risk are at a natural minimum, and thicker biltong cuts can be hung to dry slowly for a richer texture, fuller flavour, and darker colour.

Heat has only been introduced into the process in recent years by sellers who erroneously still call it 'biltong', however, it is not authentic biltong and traditional biltong makers maintain that heat makes for an inferior end result.

Comparison with jerky

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Beef jerky

Biltong differs from jerky in four distinct ways:

  • Biltong is air-dried over days, whereas the meat is heated to at least 160F to make jerky.
  • Since jerky is heat-dried, the process is much faster than for making biltong.
  • The meat used in biltong is often much thicker due to the faster drying time in dry air conditions; typically, biltong meat is cut in strips around 25 millimetres (0.98 in) wide, but can be thicker. Jerky is normally very thin meat.
  • The vinegar, salt, and spices in biltong, together with the drying process, cure the meat as well as adding texture and flavour. Jerky is traditionally dried with salt, but without vinegar.
  • Jerky is often smoked; biltong is rarely smoked.[20]
  • Biltong normally does not contain any sugar additives, while jerky usually does.[21]

Retail

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A display in a shop that sells biltong, Johannesburg

Biltong is a common product in Southern African butcheries and grocery stores, and can be bought in the form of wide strips or much thinner strips (known as stokkies, meaning "little sticks"). It is also sold in plastic bags, sometimes shrink-wrapped, and may be either finely shredded or sliced as biltong chips.

Also, some specialised retailers sell biltong. These shops may sell biltong as "wet" (moist), "medium", or "dry". Additionally, some customers prefer it with a lot of fat, while others prefer it as lean as possible.

Eating

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While biltong is usually eaten as a snack, it can also be diced up into stews, or added to muffins or pot bread. Biltong-flavoured potato crisps have also been produced,[22] and some cheese spreads[23][24] have biltong flavour. Finely shredded biltong is eaten on slices of bread and in sandwiches.[25][26]

Biltong can be used as a teething aid for babies.[27]

Biltong is a high-protein food. Often, 200 g of beef is required to make 100 g of biltong, and the process of making biltong preserves most of the protein content. Some biltong can have up to 67% protein content.

Worldwide

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Point of sale display, Spar supermarket in Johannesburg

Biltong's popularity has spread to many other countries with large South African populations, who often regard it with pride as a defining national food - Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United States, and India. Biltong is also produced within South African expatriate communities across the globe, for example in Germany, Ireland, and even South Korea.[28][29]

Biltong produced in South Africa may not be imported into Britain, according to rules governing the importation of meat-based products from non-EU countries laid down by HM Customs and Excise and its successor HM Revenue and Customs,[30] thus it is made in the UK.

In the United States, biltong is relatively rare, as beef jerky has been traditionally the more popular dried meat snack. Within the last few years,[when?] biltong has begun a small emergence within the United States, particularly from South African immigrants who have brought their local culture and foods with them. Due to concerns related to the presence of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa, the United States Department of Agriculture requires a meat inspection certificate issued by a South African government authority to accompany imports of biltong.[31]

See also

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Similar foods

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Foods similar to biltong include:

  • Bresaola – Air-dried and salted beef
  • Carne seca – Mexican dried beef
  • Cecina – Salted and dried or cured meat
  • Charqui – Lean meat dried to prevent spoilage
  • Droëwors – South African snack food
  • Jerky – Lean meat dried to prevent spoilage
  • Kilishi – Hausa dish of spiced dried beef, chicken, mutton or goat meat
  • Metworst – Type of traditional Dutch sausage
  • Mojama – Andalusian cured tuna delicacy
  • Pastırma – Spiced dried beef
  • Pemmican – Food mix with long shelf life, sometimes used as survival food
  • Slinzega – Air dried meat product from the Italian Alps

References

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  1. ^ Eric Partridge (20 September 2006). Origins: An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-42114-7. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  2. ^ "Botulism". World Health Organization.
  3. ^ Beinart, William (2008). The Rise of Conservation in South Africa. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199541225.
  4. ^ Eben van Tonder: Saltpeter, Horse Sweat, and Biltong: The origins of our national food. Earthwormexpress, 11 August 2017; accessed on 18 August 2024
  5. ^ BiltongBoyz: What is biltong?, biltongboyz (2018); accessed: 18 September 2024.
  6. ^ Philip James Kiberd: Investigating Middle Stone Age foraging behaviour in the Karoo, South Africa. PhD thesis, University of Exeter, May 2022, pp. 111-112; accessed: 18 September 2024.
  7. ^ Sandra Swart: Riding high - horses, power and settler society, c.1654-1840; accessed: 20 August 2024.
  8. ^ Silva, Filomena; Domingues, Fernanda C (2015). "Antimicrobial Activity of Coriander Oil and Its Effectiveness as Food Preservative". Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 57 (1): 35–47. doi:10.1080/10408398.2013.847818. PMID 25831119. S2CID 20975653.
  9. ^ PhD, Fernanda Domingues (26 June 2014). "Coriander: The Spice That Fights Food Poisoning".
  10. ^ Rockland, Louis B.; Beuchat, Larry R. (1987). "Intermediate Moister Foods". Water Activity: Theory and Applications to Food. CRC Press. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-8247-7759-3. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  11. ^ Arora, Dilip K.; Arora, Bharat Rai (1991). "Xerophilic Fungi in Intermediate and Low Moisture Foods". Handbook of Applied Mycology. CRC Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-8247-8491-1. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  12. ^ Madikwa, Zenoyise (25 September 2008). "Making biltong is really simple". The Sowetan. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  13. ^ Wylie, Diana (2001). Starving on a Full Stomach: Hunger and the Triumph of Cultural Racism in Modern South Africa. University of Virginia Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-8139-2068-9. Retrieved 23 September 2008. Sometimes the food donated as famine relief were memorably bizarre, and surprisingly popular, such as shark biltong (dried shark meat).
  14. ^ Heemstra, Elaine (2004). Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa. NISC (PTY) Ltd. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-1-920033-01-9. Retrieved 23 September 2008. [T]he meat [of the soupfin shark] is dried, salted and sold as shark biltong.
  15. ^ "What is the weight of biltong after drying? – Meately".
  16. ^ "Making Traditional South African Biltong - A Recipe - SA-Austin.com". www.sa-austin.com.
  17. ^ d'Amato, Maria Eugenia; Alechine, Evguenia; Cloete, Kevin Wesley; Davison, Sean; Corach, Daniel (2013). "Where is the game? Wild meat products authentication in South Africa: A case study". Investigative Genetics. 4 (1): 6. doi:10.1186/2041-2223-4-6. PMC 3621286. PMID 23452350.
  18. ^ "Botulism". www.who.int.
  19. ^ "Data". hi-tm.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Biltong: All About This Popular South African Treat". Demand Africa. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Biltong vs Jerky – What's the difference (and does it matter)? – Biltong Magazine". 11 February 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  22. ^ Examine the World Snack Foods Markets, Reportlinker.com, 29 April 2008, archived from the original on 24 September 2008, retrieved 29 September 2008, Simba Launches Lay's Potato Chips in Biltong Flavor
  23. ^ "Processed Cheese Slices Biltong – Clover". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  24. ^ Melrose Cheese Spread. "Melrose Cheese Spread". SaffaTrading.co.za. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  25. ^ "biltongparadise.co.za". www.biltongparadise.co.za. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  26. ^ "South African biltong recipes". www.biltongshopper.com.
  27. ^ Boase, Tessa (10 January 2005). "African snackshot". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 September 2008. [Biltong is] particularly good for teething babies[dead link]
  28. ^ "Fleisch-Snack vom Kap: Biltong gibt es jetzt "made in Germany" | shz.de". shz. 11 May 2022.
  29. ^ "Fleisch-Snack vom Kap: Biltong gibt es jetzt "made in Germany"". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. 24 May 2013.
  30. ^ HMRC. "FAQ: Meat, food and plants". Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  31. ^ "Can I bring back South African Biltong (beef jerky) into the United States of America for personal consumption?". AskUSDA. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
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  • Media related to Biltong at Wikimedia Commons