Biltong
Also known as: Droewors
Air-dried, spiced cured meat from Southern Africa, made from beef or game and seasoned with coriander, salt and vinegar. A beloved everyday snack, distinct from American jerky.
Type
Snack
Key Ingredients
Beef, Game meat, Coriander seed
Eaten With
Droewors, Cold beer
Typical Price
$3 to 8 per 100g
Biltong is Southern Africa's great snack, a strip of air-dried, spiced cured meat that South Africans, Namibians, Botswanans and Zimbabweans eat the way other countries eat crisps. It is made by curing raw meat in a mix of salt, vinegar and spices, with coarsely cracked coriander seed as the signature flavor, then hanging it to dry in cool moving air for anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. The result is dense, deeply savory and just chewy, with a clean tang from the vinegar and a warm, slightly citrusy note from the coriander. People buy it sliced thin or in thick chunks, by weight, from butchers, supermarkets and dedicated biltong shops, and it turns up everywhere: in lunchboxes, at the rugby, on road trips, and laid out at a braai while the fire gets going.
The classic version is made from beef, but biltong is also a celebrated way to use game, and kudu, springbok, ostrich and eland biltong are prized for their lean, slightly gamey depth. People debate endlessly over how wet or dry they like it, with some preferring it soft and red in the middle and others liking it dry all the way through. Biltong is often confused with American jerky, but they are genuinely different things. Jerky is cooked, usually with heat or smoke, and cut into thin uniform strips; biltong is never cooked, relies on the vinegar and salt cure plus drying to make it safe, and is typically cut thicker, so it keeps a meatier texture. There is also a sausage cousin called droewors, dried spiced sausage made from minced meat that dries into thin, snappable sticks. Biltong carries real cultural weight as a taste of home: it traveled with trekking communities long before refrigeration, and today South Africans abroad have it shipped to them or make their own in homemade drying boxes. For a visitor, buying a bag of fresh sliced biltong is one of the easiest and most authentic edible souvenirs in the region.
How It's Eaten
Eaten as a snack on its own, torn or sliced into pieces and picked at by hand. It is sold by weight and chosen by how dry you like it, from soft and red in the middle to firm all the way through. Common at braais, sporting events and on long road trips.
Cultural Context
Biltong predates refrigeration in the region and was a practical way to preserve meat, becoming woven into Afrikaner and wider Southern African identity. It is a comfort food and a symbol of home, especially for South Africans living abroad, and a fixture alongside the braai. Arguing over the ideal dryness and spice blend is part of the fun.
Variations
Game biltong
Made from kudu, springbok, eland or ostrich, leaner and with a deeper, slightly gamey flavor than beef.
Droewors
The sausage version: spiced minced meat dried into thin sticks that snap apart, eaten the same way as biltong.
Chilli biltong
A spicier version dusted or cured with extra chilli for heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biltong?
Biltong is air-dried, spiced cured meat from Southern Africa. Raw meat (usually beef or game) is cured in salt, vinegar and spices like coriander, then hung to dry in cool air. It is eaten as a snack, sliced or in chunks.
What is the difference between biltong and jerky?
Jerky is cooked with heat or smoke and cut into thin strips, while biltong is never cooked. Biltong relies on a vinegar and salt cure plus air drying, and is usually cut thicker, giving it a meatier texture and a tangy, coriander-forward flavor.
What does biltong taste like?
It is intensely savory and meaty with a clean tang from the vinegar and a warm, slightly citrusy note from coriander. The texture ranges from soft and chewy to firm and dry depending on how long it was dried.
What meat is biltong made from?
Beef is the most common, but biltong is also a popular way to use game such as kudu, springbok, eland and ostrich, which are leaner and have a more gamey flavor.
Is biltong safe to eat raw?
Yes. Although the meat is not cooked, the salt, vinegar and drying process cure it and make it safe, much like other dry-cured meats.