Biltong & Droëwors

Biltong is South Africa's national snack — air-dried, cured beef seasoned with coriander, black pepper, salt and vinegar. Unlike American beef jerky, biltong is air-dried (not heat-dried or smoked), thicker, and the spice profile is rooted in 17th-century Cape Dutch and Voortrekker tradition. The result is tender, savoury, and packed with protein.

Droëwors (literally "dry sausage" in Afrikaans) is a South African cured sausage made from coarsely-ground beef, beef fat, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and vinegar, stuffed into a thin natural casing and air-dried until firm. It's the snacking cousin of boerewors — a chewy, deeply spiced, ready-to-eat sausage that doesn't need refrigeration.

Biltong is air-dried over days to weeks, never heat-cooked. Jerky is heat-dried at low temperatures and usually smoked. Biltong uses a vinegar cure plus coriander-forward spices; jerky tends to be sweeter (often with sugar or teriyaki). Biltong is sliced across the grain and stays tender; jerky is typically tougher and chewier.

SA Wine USA sells genuine South African–style biltong and droëwors made to traditional recipes. We ship Traditional Beef Biltong (1 lb), Traditional South African Droëwors (1 lb), and a Biltong/Droëwors Combo across the United States.

Properly air-dried biltong has a long shelf life — sealed and kept cool and dry, traditional biltong easily lasts 4–6 weeks. Once opened, store in a paper bag (not plastic) somewhere cool to keep it from sweating. If you prefer it softer, keep it sealed; if you like it drier, leave it loose.

Biltong is high-protein, low-carb, and made from simple, traditional ingredients — beef, salt, vinegar, coriander, pepper. There's no sugar, no MSG, and no smoke. A typical 1 oz serving has around 16 g of protein. Compared to most jerky, it's leaner and cleaner.

Droëwors is eaten straight out of the bag — no cooking, no fridge needed. South Africans snap it like a stick into bite-size pieces and snack on it on road trips, around the braai (BBQ), at rugby matches, or with a beer. Pair it with a bold red wine like Pinotage or a Castle Lager.