Cured and dried meat snacks have been around for hundreds of years, and their history can be traced back as far as the ancient Egyptians! Biltong specifically was first brought to life by the native South Africa in the early 1600s as a way to preserve meat for future meals. They preserved their meat by curing with salt, and then hanging out to air dry in the sun, before slicing it into thick strips ready for consumption.
When settlers from Europe arrived in South Africa in the 1800s, they brought with them a fresh, more refined curing process that involved marinating the meat in a blend of vinegar and spices such as coriander, pepper and cloves - and that’s where Biltong was born!
The word Biltong comes from the Dutch words ‘bil’ meaning meat, and ‘tong’ meaning strip, so the word Biltong means strip of beef.
Biltong became an important part of travel due to its durability and how well it preserves, and played an important part in the migration of Dutch settlers (Voortrekkers) as they travelled across South Africa to Cape Province during the Great Trek.
Biltong was, and still is, considered the perfect travel snack - it’s long lasting, has incredible health benefits (containing all the essential vitamins and minerals the body needs to function) and contains an impressive amount of protein per serving. It has always been an important part of South African culture and is now gaining popularity around the world with athletes and snack enthusiasts alike.
What type of meat can be used in Biltong?
Traditionally, the people of South Africa made Biltong using meat from beef, ostrich and kudu. However, today you will find a whole host of biltong varieties including those made from venison or lamb, or even vegan options using mushrooms!
Today the most common variety of Biltong uses premium grass-fed beef. This is because beef is readily available and cost-effective when compared to other meats such as kudu. All our beef here at M-EAT! has been directly sourced from UK farms, meaning that your beef is fully traceable from farm to packet. This helps us keep our Biltong top quality and improves our supplier relationships too!
What ingredients are used in Biltong?
We know what you’re thinking as you tuck into that big bag of protein-rich Biltong; how do they make it so delicious and tasty? The simple answer is it’s all about the ingredients. All our Biltong here at M-EAT! is only ever made using premium grass-fed British beef, directly sourced from UK and Irish farms. What does that mean? It means our animals are free to roam and feed as they please and that they’re not consuming food that is processed or covered in nasty chemicals. The result? A flavoursome, delicious, nutritious, lean snack for you!
The process of making our delicious M-EAT! snacks honours the traditional South African methods. Nothing other than natural spices such as coriander, salt, and black pepper as well as cider vinegar goes into curing our tasty Biltong.
Once marinated, our Biltong is hung up to dry for three days, before being cut into strips and put into packets for you to tuck-in and enjoy.
Biltong sounds similar to Jerky - What is the difference?
Many people often get Biltong and Jerky confused. Whilst they’re both meat-based snacks they couldn’t be more different. Biltong is, quite simply, better, more nutritious and tastier than jerky.
Whilst both Jerky and Biltong use beef as their primary ingredient, Biltong can be made with a wider variety of cuts of meat - from lean to fatty - allowing for a wide variety of textures and flavours.
Biltong is typically cut into larger strips than Jerky too - you’ll commonly find that Biltong is cut into strips at least 1-inch thick after the air-drying process. The way Biltong is cut can also influence the taste and texture - you can go against the grain for chewier Biltong or against the grain for melt-in-your-mouth bitesize chunks.
Additionally, what goes into Biltong differs to Jerky too! Traditionally Biltong is made using rock salt, ground pepper, ground coriander seeds, all-spice and vinegar. Biltong is then left to air-dry before being cut into strips. Jerky, on the other hand, is made using salt, a variety of spices and sugars before being smoked. It is left to marinade in a sauce after it has been dried to enhance the flavour and is usually cut into strips before the dehydrating process.
Because the ingredients and production methods are different for Biltong and Jerky, you will often find that’s why they taste worlds apart. Jerky is a much chewier, smokier snack due to the dehydration and marinating process whereas Biltong is much richer and easier to snack on. Jerky is also loaded with sugars and nasty ingredients whereas good biltong is made using simple spices and dried.
How can Biltong be eaten?
The fantastic thing about Biltong is that you can do so much with just one bag of it! Here are a couple of our favourite ways to enjoy Biltong:
Tapas style
Biltong is the ideal accompaniment to a tapas-style snack board filled with deli meats, pickles, sourdough breads and delicious relishes. Make a tapas board up when you’re hosting a party or enjoy a small one for your own dinner!
As part of your lunch
The great thing about Biltong is that it can really jazz-up a boring salad or sandwich. Plus, thanks to its impressive protein content, biltong helps to keep you fuller for longer. Gym-goers and nutritionists worldwide will nod in approval at adding Biltong to your lunch and the delicious texture will make boring lunches seem like a distant memory.
Post-workout snack
Long periods of intense exercise such as a HIIT class or a long run create micro-tears in your muscles. This is why what you eat after exercising is so important. Nutritionists recommend consuming a snack or meal that is high in protein after your workout to help aid your recovery and repair those tears in your muscles. By choosing a 35g or 75g bag of M-EAT! Biltong for your post-workout snack instead of reaching for the protein shake, you can help to boost your recovery and keep hunger at bay for longer.
Paired with an ice-cold beer
Instead of reaching for the salted peanuts or a share bag of crisps, why not reach for a packet of our delicious M-EAT! biltong instead? We have plenty of award-winning flavours to choose from including peri-peri and garlic, and it’s much healthier (and tastier) than snacks high in saturated fats too!
We have plenty more ideas and recipes for you to enjoy; why not take a look?
M-EAT’s Biltong
Right from day one, we’ve been making out Biltong out of premium grass-fed British beef, sourced directly from UK and Irish farms. We’re talking the best quality, top of the premier league, seriously tasty stuff. If you’ve experienced our Biltong before, you’ll know exactly what it is we’re talking about.
We make our Biltong the traditional South African way - marinating premium grass-fed silverside in a blend of natural spices and vinegar, hanging it up to dry for three days before slicing it into juicy thick strips ready to be packaged for you to enjoy. We’ve perfected our methods over time, all to bring you the best-tasting Biltong imaginable.
We know there are plenty of Biltong enthusiasts out there just like us, so we’ve made it even easier for you to get your Biltong fix with our subscription service. Our subscription service allows you to place repeat orders of your favourite snacks on the cycle of your choosing, so you never have to worry about running out of Biltong ever again.
What are the benefits of biltong?
Biltong is an amazing source of protein and it brings with it a number of health benefits. When added to a balanced diet and training routine, it can help to aid recovery and assist performance, which is why it’s become so popular with gym-goers and athletes alike.
You may not think something so delicious could be so healthy, but Biltong is one of the healthiest snack choices readily available on supermarket shelves. It’s not only high in protein, but it’s also low in carbohydrates and contains all the essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs to properly function.
It’s packed with all the essential vitamins and minerals the body needs to function and repair muscle tears that happen with exercise, and due to its high protein content is a favourite amongst many people on diets as it helps to keep you fuller for longer.
You only have to look at the nutrients of one of our 35g original bags to see how great it is:
- Calories 89
- Carbs 0.3 gram
- Protein 18.9 grams
- Fat 1.4 grams
As well as being super popular amongst gym-goers, Beef Biltong is also popular with nutritionists too as it contains a whole array of benefits, including:
- High in natural protein – with almost 50% of your recommended daily intake of protein, Beef Biltong helps to boost your recovery, keep you fuller for longer and replenish your muscle reserves making it perfect for anyone leading an active lifestyle
- Low in carbohydrates - as Biltong is made from beef, it’s naturally low in carbohydrates meaning it’s the perfect snack for anyone following a ketogenic diet.
- High in Vitamin B12 - Vitamin B12 is crucial for the maintenance of healthy blood and nerve cells as well as new cell production
- Good source of Iron - Many people struggle to get enough iron in their diets on a regular basis which leads to fatigue in many people. Biltong is full of iron which makes it the perfect choice for anyone struggling getting their daily intake.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
No – Biltong is completely different to Beef Jerky! The only similarities they both share is that both Biltong and Jerky use beef as their main ingredient. Everything else after that including the process, cuts of meat, other ingredients, taste and texture means they’re actually worlds apart!
The word Biltong is derived from the Dutch words ‘bil’ and ‘tong’ which simply mean meat strip, so Biltong meat is actually a strip of meat! It can be made from a whole host of meats, and vegan options are also available on the market however you will most commonly find it using beef as its primary ingredient.
The process of making our delicious M-EAT! snacks honours the traditional South African methods and we’ve augmented the curing and drying process. Nothing other than natural spices such as coriander seeds, cloves and black pepper as well as cider vinegar goes into curing our tasty Biltong.
All our Beef Biltong here at M-EAT! Is made from premium grass-fed Scotch silverside, sourced from the best British and Irish farms. That means all our meat is fully traceable from farm to packet.
It’s packed with all the essential vitamins and minerals the body needs to function and repair muscle tears that happen with exercise, and due to its high protein content is a favourite amongst many people on diets as it helps to keep you fuller for longer.
We have several award-winning flavours of biltong here at M-EAT! Including BBQ, peri peri, chilli chutney, garlic and original. We also make Venison biltong and Drywors.
Here at M-EAT! We’re always excited to share new and imaginative ways you can get creative with your Biltong. Check out our blog for some ideas to get your taste buds tingling!
We do! Here at M-EAT! We also make Wild Venison Biltong, our newest and boldest addition to the Biltong family. Although Beef Biltong is what we’re known for, our Venison Biltong is incredibly tasty and full of protein so makes the perfect addition to many gym bags!