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An easy recipe and directions for making delicious South African Biltong at home. The high quality organic biltong in this article was made at home and took about 15 minutes of preparation time and cost less than $15! Ideally you will have a biltong machine that you can hang the biltong in. Read here on…
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What is the Best Dehydrator to Make Jerky and Biltong? Making jerky and biltong at home is becoming more popular as people start paying attention to all the unhealthy additives in commercial biltong. In addition to people wanting to know how to make jerky in a dehydrator people also ask if they can make biltong…
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The traditional way to make biltong is by air-drying it. Originally biltong or dry wors was hung from a shady tree in the breeze, protected from insects – or from the open rafters of an airy room (like those found in thatch roof homes). This can be replicated by using a “biltong box” as described…
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Dry Wors or Droë Wors (in Afrikaans) is a favorite South African snack that dates back to the early voortrekkers. Although it is based on the traditional, coriander seed spiced boerewors (wors) sausage, it has it’s own recipe and should not be made from regular wors that is used for cooking. The spices are very…
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With a growing interest in biltong outside of South Africa, many people are asking what is the difference between biltong and jerky. The difference between biltong and jerky is more than you would think as they are really quite different products – in spite of both being essentially a dried meat snack. The differences are…
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A brief Potjiekos history Potjiekos (“Pot Food” translated into English) is traditionally cooked over open coals in a black three legged cast iron pot three-legged pot. The cast iron pots (the potjie) were brought from the Netherlands to South Africa in the 1600’s and are now found in many of homes of people throughout southern Africa. Potjiekos has…
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Samosas (AKA samoosa in South Africa) – what are they and where do they come from? Simply put a samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filing such as potato, peas, lentils, ground beef, lamb or chicken. They are typically shaped in a triangle and made with Indian spices. Samosas originated in…
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What is Boerewors? The name Boerewors is derived from the Afrikaans words Boer (farmer) and Wors (Sausage) and is usually abbreviated to just “Wors” in South Africa. Boerewors is a traditional South African sausage derived from an old Dutch sausage recipe and while it is possible to make it at home, it is far easier to…
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About biltong chili bites: Biltong chili bites, AKA peri-peri biltong stokkies (sticks), are great to have around for quick snacks and they are often consumed at sporting events in South Africa since they are so tasty and convenient. They also make great snacks while on-the-go – e.g. when traveling or playing golf. Biltong chili bites are…
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How to make jerky at home – an easy Teriyaki beef jerky recipe Ingredients: Approx. 2 lbs of beef (to make jerky use a lean cut – e.g. flank, brisket, round or sirloin) 1 cup of good quality Teriyaki sauce 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon minced or powdered garlic OR…
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Biltong: tasty, high in protein, iron and lean in low fat! The biltong recipe was originally created and refined by the Dutch settlers in South Africa in the 17th century. Biltong is a staple of the South African lifestyle and is made from cured, spiced and dried beef, venison (Kudu and other antelope such as…
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This delicious spicy chicken recipe is a flame grilled, Portuguese style, butterfly-cut spicy peri-peri grilled chicken. Peri-peri is the Swahili word for chili peppers. This grilled peri-peri chicken is a spicy dish with roots in old Portuguese colonized Africa, primarily in Angola and Mozambique when Portuguese settlers arrived and made their homes. The restaurant chain…
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What is Bobotie? This is a Dutch recipe that originates from the Indonesian dish Bobotok. The recipe first shows up in a Dutch cookbook dating to 1609 and was introduced in South Africa by Dutch settlers and subsequently adopted by the Cape Malay community. The curry gives it a slight tang and it is often…
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This article will help you decide on the best meat to make biltong including what cut and USDA grading. If you are going to put in the time and effort to make your own biltong then you want to give yourself the best chance of making the most tasty high quality biltong possible. Selecting the best…
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Keys to storing biltong so it is fresh and safe to eat: Keep it dry Keep it in a fridge Vacuum seal it Keep pieces apart or mix them up daily Quality biltong is highly dependent on using the correct methods to make and store it. If you like your biltong slightly wet i.e. not…
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Sosaties are mild curried, flame grilled, lamb or chicken kabobs of South African Cape Malay origin. Traditionally they are made with lamb but you can use chicken or beef also. The name is from“sate” (“skewered meat”) and “saus” (Afrikaans for spicy sauce). Try this sosatie recipe at home! The sosatie recipe below is a relatively…
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How to make tasty Smoked Jerky in an electric or wood smoker Ingredients for basic smoked jerky recipe 2 lbs beef (sirloin, top round, flank or similar – avoid fatty or tough cuts). Venison is also a good option for smoked jerky but should be a little drier than beef jerky 1 TS Ground pepper…
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Bunny Chow is a traditional street food made famous by the Indian population of Durban, a large coastal city in Natal on South Africa’s tropical east coast and consists of curry spooned into a scooped-out loaf of white bread. There are many theories of the origin of Bunny Chow including that it was first used…
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What is Cape Malay Curry? Cape Malay curry is very distinctive and relies on bold fruity flavors and aromas (combining sweet and savory flavors) and are not quite as hot or spicy as some of the Indian curries. The Cape Malay curry is a special blend of spices not found in other dishes and originates…
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Vetkoek – A Quick and Easy Recipe Vetkoek are essentially deep-fried yeast dough buns that can be eaten with anything from apricot jam to curry mince (ground beef) and so can be a meal by itself for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a snack or even a dessert (like a doughnut without the hole). The word vetkoek…
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Many South Africans think of a butternut soup recipe as the national soup of South Africa and it is routinely served in restaurants, homes, and even on safari. Ingredients: 1 tbsp Butter 2 Medium Onions chopped 2 Cloves Garlic chopped 4 Cups (1 liter) Water 1 Chicken Stock Cube 1 Cup (250 ml) Cream 2 lb…
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The rusk (know as Beskuit in Afrikaans) dates back to early South African settlers. Today there are many varieties including sweet and healthy options. A brief history of the rusk Making them is pretty simple: balls of dough are packed into loaf tins and baked in the oven then separated and dried out completely in…
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Koeksisters originate from the Dutch and Malay people that settled in Cape Town. They are plaits of deep-fried dough dipped in syrup that have a crispy exterior and soft sweet stick inside. Lightly spiced dough is deep fried then immediately dunked into an ice-cold flavored sugar syrup for enough time to let the syrup permeate the…
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Melktert is Afrikaans for “milk tart” and is a Dutch inspired South African dessert. The crispy pastry crust holds a cold (cooked) milk based “custard like” filling with cinnamon or nutmeg sprinkling on top. It is somewhat similar to Portuguese custard pies and Chinese egg pies. This is a great easy dessert to make for guests…
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Knowing how to braai (grill) a whole fillet Mignon is really important since it is a pretty expensive cut to mess up! In my opinion this is possibly the best braai or cook-out/bbq cut of meat to do for…
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Which is better, biltong made in a biltong box (primarily air-dried with little or no heat) or biltong made in a commercial dehydrator like the Excalibur (using air circulation and also heat)? The biltong box is definitely better for larger pieces of biltong that need to be hung vertically to dry (e.g. up to 1…
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Looking for an easy to make, delicious and authentic South African dessert for your dinner party, office pot luck, African themed party, braai time around the pool – or just for yourself and the family to enjoy? Look no further, Malva Pudding (dessert) is a great dish that can fill all those needs! Malva pudding…
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We know that it can be difficult for South Africans living abroad to find their favorite South African snacks, condiments, wors, biltong, dry wors, rusks etc..! buy biltong Below is a list of shops in the USA and Canada where you can buy biltong, dry wors and other South African products. If you are a…
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Amazingly Easy (No-Knead) Delicious Dutch Oven Bread: This wonderful, light, tasty Dutch Oven Bread is made in a traditional iron Dutch Oven similar to those used by early parties trekking into the interior of South Africa and also by early settlers in the Cape. This recipe produces a light and airy loaf of bread with…
