International Biltong Day 30 July

30 July has been declared International Biltong Day (IBD) by me as there was a request to this nature made via a tweet by a certain tweety bird. This tweeter has declared 23 June as International Rusk Day (IRD). As I am very keen on this South African delicacy I enthusiastically obliged. I am of the opinion that we actually need to declare a special day for each and every traditional South African delicacy such as Koeksisters, Melktert, and even Pampoenkoekies, to name but a few.

The pronunciation of the word is quite simple. You say it like you see it. If you do struggle however, here is a link to assist you in adding another word to your vocabulary. The word biltong is from the Dutch bil ("rump") and tong ("strip" or "tongue").

Biltong

Biltong is made from raw strips of good quality meat that is cured (traditionally) with vinegar, salt, coriander, black pepper and sugar. The need for preserved food such as dried meat arose when the Voortrekkers left the Cape Colony in the Southern tip of Africa to settle further inland. The meat used for Biltong include, game, beef, and ostrich.

Want to know more?

In the day of the Voortrekkers it took at least two weeks for Biltong to dry, but us modern Voortrekkers can dry it in four days. In the dry Canadian prairies (I was told by friends who live there), they dry it in the basement chop-chop. It is not a need in that country (or in any other country) it is a mere belustigheid (lustfulness) for this very expensive historical piece of raw meat. South Africans can’t live without it. Wherever you find South African populations in the world, you will find producers of Biltong. This is especially the case in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. You can take the South African out of South Africa, but you can’t take his Biltong away.

The Knife

Biltong is cut in long strips, and therefore one has to dissect it into smaller pieces (bite size chunks) for eating purposes. The proper tool for this is the Biltong Knife. This is akin to the pocket knife. The Swiss army knife works well too. It is however very important to have the strip of Biltong in one hand and the knife in the other to slice bite size chunks like you cut French bread. More importantly, if you are a grandparent, you should have all the grandchildren surrounding your rocking chair, each one awaiting (eager eyes on when it is their turn again) a chunk of meat.

Make your own

Another tweety bird who goes by the name of Buffalo belongs to a wonderful society called the Scouts. As he is South African, I thought it proper to provide a recipe for Biltong from this crafty, constructive and life changing movement. I believe your life changes for the better once you are acquainted with the skill of making your own Biltong.

What else?

You will find that you would want to have more ways of eating Biltong and therefore it is important that you know how to incorporate the delicacy into a more modern food and even into part of an actual meal. For this purpose I provide you with the link to a recipe for Biltong and cheese muffins.

So...

I trust I have made your day a bit more interesting and that you are now inspired to get Biltonging.