Biltong is a dried, cured meat popular in the countries in Southern Africa including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia.
(I just realized that I have not had food from any of those countries except South Africa. But that’s another story and another post.)
Biltong is apparently now legal in the USA. I still remember when jamon iberico first became legal in the USA when I had it at the now defunct Le Cirque in New York City. I can’t recall why it was illegal in the first place.
Biltong apparently had previous problems related to foot-and-mouth disease way back when which was why it was haram then in the USA. You still have to get some paperwork from the US Department of Agriculture to import it.
Well it’s certainly not haram in the UAE, in fact, it’s quite kosher, at least from a food regulations perspective.
I recently enjoyed a biltong salad at the Savannah Restaurant at the Desert Island Resort & Spa in Sir Baniyas Island in the UAE.
The salad consisted of some mixed greens, pears poached in red wine, gorgonzola, candied pecans, and of course, biltong. Actually, it was made with biltong floss, and it reminded me of Chinese pork floss, but with a slightly crunchier texture. With a honey mustard and lemon dressing, it made for a delicious accompaniment to our main dish of prawns with jolloff rice.
Savannah’s head chef is from Ghana if I remember correctly, so the jolloff rice, which is more popular in west Africa, should have been no surprise. We were fortunate to have her prepare all our dishes herself.
UNRetirees 