Dried, cured meat that is sliced thin and has a salty, savory flavor, popular in South Africa and other regions.
From Dutch 'bil' (buttock, hip) and Dutch 'tong' (tongue), referring to the cut of meat used. The term emerged in South African English during the Dutch colonial period as a method of food preservation.
Billtong was originally developed as a way to preserve meat without refrigeration in hot climates—it's essentially the ancestor of beef jerky, and the word itself tells you which part of the animal was originally used!
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