Biltong eating techniques

[Paul]

Is there a special way to eat Biltong?
I can eat the stuff by the kilo but seem to spend as many hours picking it out of my teeth which can be quite awkward.

Also, with all the strange foods from SA, do you think this has contributed to the formation of the SA accent?

 

[Olazz]

Is there a special way to eat Biltong?
I can eat the stuff by the kilo but seem to spend as many hours picking it out of my teeth which can be quite awkward.

It helps if you haven't got teeth like "Mealies"

 

[fridayman]

Only two techniques and both are more to do with prep:
1 - "whittle" it off the stick, insert in mouth, take a sip of beer, repeat
2 - get the butcher to slice it, insert in mouth, take a sip of beer, repeat

 

[Gary Stockton]

Have a proper Kershaw biltong knife with you at all times

And lots of Tafel or Windhoek!

 

[Andrew Prince]

I can eat the stuff by the kilo but seem to spend as many hours picking it out of my teeth which can be quite awkward.

It comes down to the way the biltong is made and the way it's sliced It should be made by separating out the muscles and slicing the muscles lengthways to reduce into sensible thickness where necessary. So the fibres should run lengthways down the stick. Tendons and some of the muscle sheath should be removed within reason (these cause the worst of the dental floss problem!)
Of course, in "mass" production, many butchers just cut the meat into long strips any which way so the fibres don't run long-ways down the stick and also bits of tendon etc are left in

Next is the slicing bit - if the stick has been properly prepared, a slice across (right angles or close to 90 deg) the stick means that all the fibres are only a long as the slice thickness - so nothing to get stuck in your teeth So careless slicing can result in long fibres being present or badly prepped sticks can cause the floss problem.

Of course if you eat the biltong from the stick, then tearing pieces off means long fibres - no way of escaping that

(hope I made this sound suitably scientific and show that us Saffers have highly sophisticated cuisine )

 

[ignat]

Of course if you eat the biltong from the stick, then tearing pieces off means long fibres - no way of escaping that

My preferred method


Also, these are always useful to have in the kitchen:

 

[TonyP]

Only two techniques and both are more to do with prep:
1 - "whittle" it off the stick, insert in mouth, take a sip of beer, repeat
2 - get the butcher to slice it, insert in mouth, take a sip of beer, repeat

No 2, my favourite method!

 

[Gary Stockton]

Yep I've got one of those biltong cutters. Very useful after the 5th Windhoek

 

[Crispin]

..Windhoek!

Now available at your friendly Tesco. Might be cheaper to drink diesel thoug. @£3.33 per litre it's rough

 

[Paul]

Is it genuine or brewed under license?

 

[Andrew Prince]

Genuine - imported from Windhoek

 

[fridayman]

Yep I've got one of those biltong cutters. Very useful after the 5th Windhoek

Beer and a biltong slicer... Could get colourful.

 

[Crispin]

There is a wholesaler (Jumbo Importers) down the road from me who sell cases of 24 for £20 IIRC (Been a while since I bought)

Sadly though, I can't recommend their biltong - I think it too is imported from SA via rowboat. Not the nicest...

 

[Paul]

Surely though, and this is an admission from a saffer, the Biltong starts life as "anything that can be shot and strapped to the bonnet of a truck"

Only joking, i have mine sliced across the grain at the shop, i have also bought the stokkies which i believe go with the grain.

 

[fridayman]

I got some surprisingly good biltong in Roehampton (SW London, not far from the A3) last week. Not the cheapest place, but I would go buy there again. Their droewors was also pretty good.

 

[Crispin]

Bok and Rose has a very good supply. Family run (from Durbs) makes it himself and has now opened a decent size shop with all sorts. Good mail order service as well.

 

[ignat]

Just come back from a liquid lunch and all this talk of Biltong has got me hungry! Must stock up on biltong and eet-sum-more and peppermint crisp tomorrow AM

 

[Rob Voerman]

mmmm and in france they have........ f0k0lie Biltong.

Do we have a thread of where and who do guys get it from?

I used Susmans ( http://www.biltong.co.uk/cat-Butchers-9.aspx ) the last time and it was ok... no it was good!! but not the same as from SA.

I showed my kids the drink your milk with pepermint crisp trick when I returned the last time...

mmm will be down in 2nd week of March in Cape Town for Biltong.

 

[Paul]

I use these guys, they also do mail order.

http://www.no1southafricanshop.co.uk/

I believe there is a central supplier in Petersfield for most of the uk.

 

[Crispin]

Susmans is not lekke. I've tried them a few times and I am certain if you strike a stick of biltong against a rock it would spark.

Paul's or Bok and Rose (http://www.thebokandrose.com/) are good. The latter have become their own importers.

If they won't send to France, we could relay some for you...