Biltong began as a way to keep beef edible long before fridges existed. Southern African peoples, and later Dutch settlers, salted, spiced and air-dried strips of meat so it would last through long journeys and hot months. That same simple method, air-drying spiced beef for about five days, is exactly how we make Raw Sintra today. The story runs from the plains of southern Africa to a hillside above Lisbon, and the recipe has barely changed along the way.
The story is worth knowing because it explains why biltong is not jerky and never has been. If you want the plain version of what it is first, our beginner's guide to biltong is a good place to start before we get into the history.
Where did biltong come from?
The roots run deep in southern Africa. Long before Europeans arrived, indigenous peoples preserved meat by drying it in the air and sun, a practical answer to a hot climate and no refrigeration. When Dutch settlers came they brought vinegar and spices like coriander and pepper, and the two traditions met. The result was biltong: air-dried, spiced beef that could survive the trek across a vast country without any cold storage at all.
It was food built for travel and hard living. Hunters and farmers needed protein they could carry for weeks, and biltong delivered exactly that. The method spread and settled into a national habit, and to this day biltong is woven into everyday life in South Africa in a way few foods anywhere are.
What does the word biltong mean?
The name comes from old Dutch. "Bil" means rump or hind, and "tong" means strip or tongue, so biltong is roughly a strip of meat from the hind. It is a plain, practical name for a plain, practical food, which suits it. Nothing about biltong is dressed up, then or now.
That plainness is part of why it has lasted. There is no fashion to fall out of, no trick to grow tired of. It is beef, salt, vinegar, worcester sauce and spice, dried in the air. A food named that simply tends to survive because it does one thing and does it well.
How is biltong different from jerky?
This is the part people mix up. Jerky is cooked, usually at low heat, and it is nearly always sweetened with sugar or marinade. Biltong is not cooked at all. It is spiced, dipped in vinegar and hung to air-dry for about five days. That is why biltong tastes of beef and spice rather than sugar, and why the two are genuinely different foods with different histories.
The difference is not just technical, it is a difference in flavour and feel. Jerky often has a chewy, sweetish character. Biltong is savoury, aromatic from the coriander, and firm rather than sticky. Once you have tasted proper biltong the two rarely get confused again.
How did biltong get to Sintra?
Raw Sintra was co-founded by Anthony Day and Sergio Gracioso, who wanted proper biltong without importing it or settling for sweetened alternatives. Working with a South African butcher who knows the craft, they set up in Sintra, Portugal, where the town sits at about 400m in cool, clean Atlantic air. That climate turns out to be well suited to air-drying beef slowly and evenly.
So the tradition travelled from the plains of southern Africa to a hillside town near Lisbon, kept intact rather than changed. Same method, same simplicity, made with Portuguese beef. It is a South African craft given a Portuguese home, and the local air does a good deal of the work.
Why does the Sintra climate suit biltong?
Air-drying needs the right conditions. Too hot and the outside dries while the inside stays wet. Too damp and it will not dry cleanly at all. Sintra's cool, breezy Atlantic air at around 400m gives a steady, gentle environment that lets the beef lose water evenly over about five days. It is close to the conditions biltong has always wanted.
That is why the location is not a marketing detail but part of the recipe. The same six ingredients would behave differently in a hot, humid kitchen. Made in the right air, with patience, the beef dries the way it should and keeps the texture people know biltong for.
Why keep making it the old way?
Because the old way works and there is no honest reason to shortcut it. We use six ingredients: Portuguese beef, Worcester sauce, vinegar, salt, coriander and black pepper. No sugar, no additives. Air-dried for about five days, over 60g of protein per 100g, about 3g of carbs. The history is not a marketing story for us, it is the recipe.
Every step that made biltong worth carrying across a continent still makes it worth eating today. Keep it simple, dry it slowly, do not sweeten it. Follow that and you get the same honest food people have relied on for generations.
Is biltong South African?
Its modern form is, yes. The method blends indigenous southern African drying with spices and vinegar brought by Dutch settlers. We make ours in Portugal using the same traditional approach.
Has the recipe changed over the centuries?
The core has not. Salt, vinegar, spice and air-drying are still the heart of it. We keep to that with our six-ingredient recipe.
Why coriander in an old recipe?
Coriander has been the classic biltong spice for a very long time. It gives that warm, slightly citrus aroma that people recognise as biltong. Drop it and you lose part of what makes the food itself.
Did people really rely on it for survival?
They did. Before refrigeration, air-dried beef was a dependable way to keep protein for long journeys and lean months. That practical need is the reason the method exists at all.
If you want to taste a tradition made fresh, shop our biltong and try it for yourself. Packs are 17.50 EUR, there is a monthly subscription if you would like it topped up regularly, and every batch is made by hand in Sintra and ships within Portugal.
0 comments