15/08/2026
The Story of Biltong 🦉
Few foods are as closely associated with South Africa as biltong. This dried, cured meat developed from the long established need to preserve meat in southern Africa before refrigeration and became an important portable food for people travelling and living in the interior.
The word biltong comes from the Dutch and Afrikaans words bil, meaning buttock or rump, and tong, meaning tongue. It refers to the shape of the strips of meat. The word is documented in South African sources from at least 1815, providing evidence that the term was in use by the early 19th century.
Meat preservation in southern Africa predates European settlement at the Cape. Indigenous communities, including Khoisan peoples, used methods of drying and preserving meat. European settlers subsequently introduced and adapted their own curing practices, including the use of salt, vinegar and spices. These different traditions contributed to the development of the biltong tradition associated with South Africa.
A popular story claims that Dutch settlers in the 17th century placed strips of meat beneath their horses’ saddles, where the meat supposedly dried in the animals’ sweat while they travelled. This story is widely repeated but is not supported by reliable historical evidence and should be regarded as folklore rather than the established origin of biltong.
The preservation of meat became particularly important as European settlers moved beyond the Cape into the interior. During the Great Trek of the 1830s and 1840s, dried meat provided a durable source of food for people travelling long distances with limited access to fresh supplies.
Game animals were also an important source of meat. Eland, kudu, springbok and other species could be cut into strips, salted, spiced and dried. The dry climate of the interior, particularly during winter, was well suited to the air drying of meat. Beef later became the most commonly used meat for commercial and household biltong.
Traditional preparation generally involved cutting meat into strips, treating it with vinegar and then applying salt and spices. Coriander and black pepper became strongly associated with biltong, while recipes varied between families and regions. Some preparations also included sugar or other seasonings.
The drying process is what distinguishes biltong from jerky. Traditional biltong is air dried rather than cooked or heat dried. The meat is generally cut into thicker pieces and allowed to dry over several days. The combination of curing, seasoning and controlled drying produces its characteristic texture and flavour.
During the 20th century, refrigeration and modern food distribution gradually reduced the necessity of preserving meat through drying. Biltong nevertheless remained popular and increasingly became a snack and an important part of South African food culture rather than simply a method of food preservation.
