In the growing meat snack category, there are easily identifiable categories. A meat stick is different from a meat bar, which is different from jerky. All three meat snacks have different looks, different textures and different tastes, and it is pretty easy to tell the difference between them. Then, there is biltong. It may look like jerky and may taste like jerky, but it is definitely not jerky. It’s a separate product, and the companies that offer it are hoping that it can capture a share of the American meat snack market.
Everywhere else in the world, biltong is known and enjoyed. The product originated in Africa, where the traditional methods of preserving meat by drying it merged with the European introduction of vinegar. Unlike jerky, the meat is not marinated prior to drying and contains much less sugar. Consumers looking to add protein to their diets without the sugar and nitrates found in jerky have an alternative in biltong. Stryve, a new meat snack company, originally sold jerky bites before discovering the health benefits of biltong. The company is now building the largest biltong plant in the country and making the product its focus.