The food value of biltong (South African dried meat) and its use on expeditions.

Biltong is a traditional South African preparation of the meat of game, salted and dried in the sun. I t can be eaten without further preparation, and pieces can conveniently be carried in the pocket. It occurred to one of us (H. E. L.), who is a South African, that biltong might be a useful addition to the sledging rations on the British North Greenland Expedition (Lewis & Masterton, 1955a, b), and an approach for a supply was made to the Rhodesian Government through its High Commissioner in London. We were extremely grateful for their generous gift of I cwt. of biltong. It was prepared from the carcasses of three antelopes, the shooting of which required special permission as it was the close season, and since time was so limited the donors showed even further imagination by sending the gift air-freight by Comet from Rhodesia so as to reach the expedition ship before it left on 8 July 1952. A month later it was unpacked at the Expedition main base, Britannia S0 in North East Greenland, and pieces were distributed to the men sledging to the interior of the ice sheet to set up the Northice weather station at latitude of about 80" N. Biltong, in South Africa, is a national delicacy, but outside the subcontinent it is relatively unknown. Its taste usually requires some cultivation, especially as the dried meat has an unappetizing appearance not unlike that of a piece of dark wood. It is quite hard, but it is softened readily by the saliva when it is chewed. However, on the British North Greenland Expedition it was appreciated and enjoyed by almost all the members when they ate it as a snack during sledging or man-packing. In view of its acceptability this investigation was carried out to find the value of biltong to travellers, whether in polar regions or elsewhere, on either big or small expeditions.