Eating Biltong taste test in South Africa

When visiting a new country there are always 'must have' foods worth trying. In South Africa one of these items is Biltong. Most similar to 'beef jerky' it has a special curing and processing that sets it apart from other forms of dried meat. Come find out if we enjoyed it (or not) as we munch away piece by piece from a brown paper bag outside.
Eating Biltong taste test in South Africa Travel Video Transcript:
Okay, so a new country, a new taste test. We are in South Africa right now and you can't come to this country and not try Biltong. So that is what I have right here in this brown paper bag.
So Biltong is a dried cured meat similar to beef jerky and this is what it looks like.
So we got ourselves some beef biltong but apparently you can get different kinds of meats. Like game meat or ostrich. This is cow. And it is quite hard and chewy but it makes a really nice snack, so let's say you're riding the bus or going on a really long trip it is kind of nice to just have a bag full and be munching away. That's what we have been doing for the past few days.
So for me Biltong is kind of like premium jerky. And there is three key differences. First off, it is sliced a lot thicker. Secondly, they use vinegar in the curing process along with salt and pepper. Which is a little bit different from regular jerky which doesn't have any vinegar whatsoever. And the third key difference is Biltong is not smoked whereas jerky is.
Okay, so the purchasing process? What was awesome is that we went into a kind of like what would be considered a deli that specialized in Biltong. And when we went in there was all of these different kinds of dried meat hanging up in different sections. There was one that was game meat, there was one that was regular, there was a premium kind. I can't remember but there was a forth kind as well. And anyways, what you would do is pick this meat off of a hook and bring it over to these ladies who would then put it through a grinder and it would go into this bag like that. So it was a really cool to be right there involved in the process. And it just made it a lot more special. And the other thing that I really noticed that was a big difference is that the quality of the actual meat itself is a lot better than what comes from say packaged pre-packed stuff you would find in a store.
So the word Biltong. What does it mean? I actually had to look this up but now I can tell you. So 'Bil' apparently comes from the Dutch word for rump and 'Tong' means strip or tongue. But contrary to popular belief Biltong is not made from bull's tongue, so don't be afraid to try it because of that.
What have you got in your hand over there? Okay, and last but not least we have something called Cabanossi which kind of looks like a dried pepperoni stick. We also picked this up at the same store we got the Biltong. So I'm going to try that. Yeah, so it is kind of like a greasy salami stick. Again, chewy, salty, flavorful. I think it makes a great snack. Which one do you like better? Or do you like them both?
I do like them both but this reminds me of salami or like a pepperoni stick so it is something I am familiar with. So I quite enjoy the flavor. One more bite.
So when you're visiting South Africa, unless of course you're a vegetarian, be sure to try Biltong. I swear it is pretty much addicting. I can't seem to stop myself over here.
This is part of our Travel in South Africa series. We're making a series of videos showcasing South African culture, South African arts, South African foods, South African religion, South African cuisine and South African people.
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All photos and video taken by Samuel Jeffery (Nomadic Samuel) and Audrey Bergner (That Backpacker).
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network