Market Snack · Air-Dried Meat

Biltong

Photo: Delia du Plessis / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

It predates refrigeration by centuries — the drying method was already used by indigenous herders long before Dutch settlers gave it its Afrikaans name.

Strips of beef (or game meat) are marinated in vinegar, salt, coriander and black pepper, then hung to air-dry for several days until firm and deeply savory. Market stalls and roadside vendors across Zimbabwe sell it cut into thin, chewy strips or shaved into flakes, weighed out by the handful straight from the hook.

Why it's made this way: It was a survival food for long journeys — the vinegar-and-salt cure let hunters and travelers preserve meat for months without ice in the southern African bush, and the technique has barely changed in over 300 years.

Full guide: what Biltong is and how to make it, on the Biltong page from South Africa.