Biltong is dried, cured meat originated in South Africa; the word ‘biltong’ originates from the Dutch words ‘bil’, meaning rump or hindquarter, and ‘tong’, meaning ‘strip’.
Indigenous people from South Africa, such as the Khoikhoi, found that slicing the meat into strips, curing it with salt, and hanging it up to dry was an effective way of preserving it. European settlers arrived to Southern Africa in the early 17th century, and experimented with the curing process, bringing in vinegar, saltpetre and spices including pepper, coriander and cloves.
Biltong not only tastes delicious but its nutritional values stack up pretty impressively too!