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Carnivore!
South Africa is famous for meat of every shape and description.
This is definitely a meat lover's paradise and here you have
the opportunity to try a selection of game meats and other
animals such as crocodile and ostrich.
Boerewors is the traditional beef sausage produced by
farmers in South Africa and is an essential ingredient of
any braai (barbeque). You will often find it sold by
street vendors as a hot dog. It is a very thick and fatty
sausage and can sometimes be a bit much for even die-hard
carnivores. Nowadays, you may find that you can get sausages
made out of more exotic game such as wildebeest, impala and
zebra.
Ostriches have become a huge success as a foodstuff
along with other game. They are indigenous to the Oudtshoorn
area of South Africa and have been farmed since the early
19th Century. Today they are mainly farmed for meat and leather,
however when they were first farmed it was their feathers
that are in the most demand by the fashionable of Europe.
The other amazing thing about these birds are their eggs that
can take a weight of up to 400lbs, meaning you can stand on
them without them breaking.
Biltong is dried meat that you can get made from every
game animal imaginable in South Africa. It has a staple part
of the diet for hundreds of years but now seems to be becoming
a bit of a delicacy due to being made from ever more exotic
ingredients. The word comes from the Dutch word 'Bil' meaning
buttock and 'tong' meaning strip. It is made of top quality
meat and always has been; don't mistake it for a product such
as beef jerky. You can try making it yourself if you follow
the recipe below.
Recipe for Biltong
Before starting you will need:
· An electric fan
· A light
· 1 kg meat. Try experimenting with different kinds
and game if possible.
· Some vinegar
· Less than a tablespoon of coarse salt.
· ¼ cup of brown sugar
· ½ cup of coriander (whole)
· ½ teaspoon pepper
· String
You will also need some hooks and a dry place to hang the
meat.
Method
1. Wash the meat and cut at an angle against the grain into
about one inch strips.
2. Sprinkle vinegar over the meat.
3. Place the coriander in a bag and crush the whole coriander.
4. Make 'biltong mix' by combining coriander, coarse salt,
brown sugar and pepper.
5. Cover the meat in the mix and place overnight in the fridge.
6. Drain any blood that has seeped out the meat.
7. Quickly dip the biltong in a water/salt mixture to remove
surface salt.
8. Make an incision at the end of the meat about an inch below
the end for hanging.
9. Thread string through the incision in the meat and tie
into a loop.
10. Hang the meat in a warm dry place.
11. To dry the meat turn on the light (normal light bulb)
and the fan and leave for approximately four to seven days.
Check the meat during this time as depending on temperature
and humidity it will dry at different rates. You can also
try adding more spices such as paprika or herbs to create
different tastes.
Biltong meat can be made into pies, scones or other pastry
dishes or enjoyed in a hearty sandwich.
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