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DISCLAIMER The information and contributions contained in this newsletter are received from various readers local and international. Views and opinions reflected in our newsletter are not necessarily those of Biltongmakers.Com and its team members. Keerbergen
Belgium ![]() Everybody ran outside for cover and to get away from the horrendous smell of rotten egg. I had just tried to open one of those thousand year old eggs I brought back from Singapore in December 2006! It exploded in my face. (talk about egg on your face!) I am always one for bringing back absolutely useless and strange things from far away countries. This time it was one of those raw duck eggs wrapped in gray clay and I was going to show Hans and Joan (who were there for lunch) how nice it was to eat one of those things! I don’t know what was worse, the smell, my guests retching outside or the look I got from June! Anyway, that was another one to write off to experience. Never again! But, then ….. I had to see what a thousand year old egg is really all about. Surely, I could not have made such a mistake out of total ignorance. This is what I found. Preserved duck eggs are a traditional Chinese delicacy, and although known as “1000-year-old eggs” they are rarely more than 100 days old. (So mine was a rarity at almost 500 days!) (Needless to say that I did none of the above of course. Just left it in an egg cup on a kitchen shelf looking pretty) The preserved duck egg is smooth and creamy like an avocado, with a greenish yolk, and a no-longer-white white that is compared to the color of blackish amber or black opal, with hints of yellow, blue, and green hues. The flavor is “rich, pungent and cheese-like.” Or, as the old Latin adage says: “de gustibus non est disputandum” (there’s no accounting for taste)! Much better were Joan’s vetkoeke. I had not had any of those for yonks and when we went around there a couple of weeks ago she was busy making these vetkoeke the size of rugby balls. It’s been a couple of months since our last newsletter and if it wasn’t for the hundreds of emails we keep on getting, asking where the next one is, I would still be procrastinating. So here we are. It’s April already and the first quarter of the year is behind us. How time flies. Just the other day we were on holiday in Turkey. But, that is the life we lead. We rush around not counting those precious seconds, minutes, hours and days we sometimes just throw away by ignoring how precious they really are and doing something more than let them just pass by. This month it will be 13 years since Biltongmakers started going. I can’t believe it sometimes. Those early days when Kel designed his first Biltong Maker and we started playing around with a little web design program to see if we could make ourselves famous! How little did we know and how much has been learned. But, here we are. Needless to say, it also makes us happy. Happy to be able to provide a service that gives a little of “the home country” to those so far away. And so we, in the northern hemisphere go into our summer and our friends “Down South” into their winter. I hope you will have a good one, whichever it may be. Till the next time, Lo
” The biggest mistake people make in life is not making a living at doing what they most enjoy.”
-Malcolm S. Forbes When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!!
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a high school graduation in the US. His advice is as follows:
To many of us Daylight Saving Time is a way of life. But have you ever stood still by what it is and, more important, the funny and strange things that can happen when you add or remove an hour to your day? For example, Roman water clocks had different scales for different months of the year: at Rome’s latitude the third hour from sunrise, hora tertia, started by modern standards at 09:02 solar time and lasted 44 minutes at the winter solstice, but at the summer solstice it started at 06:58 and lasted 75 minutes. Benjamin Franklin (below) suggested firing cannons at sunrise to waken Parisians.
This 1784 satire proposed taxing shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells and firing cannons at sunrise. It was William Willett who invented DST and advocated it tirelessly. This prominent English builder and outdoorsman invented DST in 1905 during one of his pre-breakfast horseback rides, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through the best part of a summer day. Germany, its World War I allies, and their occupied zones were the first European nations to use Willett’s invention, starting April 30, 1916. When do we change our clocks? Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time. In the European Union, Summer Time begins and ends at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time). It begins the last Sunday in March and ends the last Sunday in October. During DST clocks are turned forward an hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. This year the change over date for Europe was March 30th. For the US it was on March 9th. When in the morning? In the EU clocks change at 1:00 a.m. Universal Time. In spring clocks spring forward from 12:59 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. In the autumn clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Incidents and Anecdotes Throughout its long and fascinating history, daylight saving time has had a remarkable impact on a wide variety of unexpected areas–from Middle East terrorism to feuding twin cities, voter turnout to time-change riots, radio stations to trick-or-treaters, and opera performances to manslaughter charges. Draft Status, Vietnam War Bombing Thwarted Time Change Riots Radio Stations Violent Crime Oil Conservation Births and Birthdays
The South African Meat Industry Company,
Samic has very nice meat cutting charts. Just click on the banner below for lots of interesting information.
I must compliment whoever does the SAMIC newsletter for their lovely sayings! Have look, they are amazing!
And so the success story continues ….. The introduction of Rockey’s new TURBO Home Biltong Maker has taken the Biltong making world by storm. We have just not been able to keep up! Everytime a new batch arrives from the factory it has already been pre-sold. The new Turbo model is basically Rockey’s New Age Biltong Maker with a fan added at the bottom. More slots were added for improved airflow and the whole unit looks AND works very smart! All in all a good investment for those people who make a lot of Biltong! Of course we must not forget the standard RNA-5 model and the ever popular Biltong Buddy! Both are excellent machines, something to which thousands of satisfied customers will testify! Special new features:
Details on ROCKEY’S 5kg Home Biltong Maker as well as the new Turbo Model can be found by clicking on this link. You can have a look at the BILTONG BUDDY here.
[These special offers are for a limited period only, as long as present stocks last and can be changed without prior notice!]
Hang-over Hay fever Headache Eat 10-12 almonds, the equivalent of two aspirins, for a migraine headache. Almonds are far less likely to upset the stomach. Hiccups
This is a remedy only feasible when sitting at a bar. Have the bartender fill a small glass with club soda. Light a match and drop it, then drink the water quickly (being careful not to drink the match). It works, but I don’t know why! Drink 1/2 glass water, slowly. Keep a tsp. of sugar in your mouth and suck slowly. Take a large mouthful of water with out swallowing, plug both ears, and slowly begin to swallow the water. Unplug your ears and you’re hiccup free! (Submitted by Mrs T. Falkmann) Eat a heaped teaspoon of peanut butter all at once. (Submitted by Tracy Pletcher) Hickey Why it works:
Insect bites
It will certainly interest our Jewish readers that our biltong spices are certified as being kosher by the Beth Din of Johannesburg. Anyone interested can mail us for a copy of the certification. (new 2007 certification is now available)
South African Meat Cutting Charts
Below you will find three excellent meat cutting charts. These are displayed with the compliments of SAMIC.
Welcome to Apartment Oberholzer in Vienna, Austria
The Vienna city center is within 10 minutes walking distance. Public transport is right at the Guest house. Our well-kept, 54 m² newly renovated non-smoking holiday flat is suitable for 1-4 people. It is central, quiet, charming and very reasonably priced. For further information please see our website www.netland.at/wien/oberholzer
If we have not given an answer and you can help these people could you please mail them? (Please copy us in on your mails @ info@biltongmakers.com so we can help other people who might have the same questions in the future) QUESTION Can you help with a recipe for a Russian sausage please? – we live in Oz. Leon van der Linde
What is Saltpeter in Biltong used for? Answer Saltpeter or Sodium Nitrate is a salt used to keep the red colour in the meat and as a preservative as well Most people don’t use it any more as too much could cause a problem. It has to be used in minute quantities.
Does anyone have a Chicken Biltong recipe? Answer I use the same method for chicken as I do for beef, and it tastes nearly as good! David Elvey
When meat is dried in a biltong cabinet by means of heat/warmth what temperature is it done at? Answer I have had this out with the local government in our country. There is no real temperature that is required. The heat from an ordinary bulb is enough to heat the meat required but air MUST circulate around the Meat. Andrew Grover
We all have had to do with mould at some stage in our biltong making efforts. Here are a couple of feed backs from readers on how mould can be prevented. What to do about mould I believe the problem lies in the lack of circulation and/or a lack of heat. As another option you could add a little more salt but only as a last resort. Andrew Grover
Leon,
the spices help to preserve the meat and also help to dry it. Since i corrected these two problems, I have not had any problems. Brain Ridley
In this case, a dog’s life wouldn’t be so bad …
By James Clarke ![]() Trouble. Now I happen to know Maltese terriers because, by default, I became custodian to two of them in succession – both now deceased. They are useless little animals, strictly designed for women. But how would my attitude change if I were introduced to Trouble, who, after all, has done far better in life than me (or even I. Or maybe both of us)? More important, as a more successful animal, what would Trouble’s reaction be to me? He would probably rush up and pee against my leg. The London Daily Telegraph reports that Gunther inherited the money from his dad, Gunther III. His dad died in 1992 after being left R400-million by his owner, Countess Karlotta Libenstein.
Apparently there’s a chimpanzee in Cape Town named Kalu who was rescued from a tree by Patricia O’Neill. Patricia, in her will, has left her Cape Town estate to Kalu. It’s difficult to know how the chimp will treat the estate. What would happen if Kalu didn’t pay the electricity bills – after all he won’t need electricity because chimps, being strictly diurnal, never read at night and are not terribly keen on cooking or using power tools. Would Eskom sue? And how would the chimp defend himself in court? I suppose by biting the prosecutor and witnesses who displeased him. The same might apply to canine defendants. Not long ago a New York poodle inherited around R220-million, which is quite serious money for a dog who needs little more than dog biscuits and an occasional change of collar. And who administers these inheritances? Apparently trustees who are sometimes related – related to the deceased, not to the animal. “Hi Fred, who’d you work for these days?” “Got a real nice job, working for a Dalmatian. He’s a multi-multi millionaire.” “Really? I knew a Dalmatian once – Guzitsa Valdivastiniskozich. Nice guy. Dalmatia’s on the Croatian coast y’know? What are they like to work for?” “This one’s okay. He whines a bit if I don’t take him for a walk. Sometimes he pees in my kitchen and he goes around sniffing dogs’ behinds. That sort of thing.” “You’re kidding! Mind you, if you’re a multi millionaire you can be as eccentric as you like I suppose. Is he old?” “About 11 I think.” “Fred? Are you okay? You don’t need some sort of help do you?” “I’m fine – just have to get back to give the blighter his new flea collar.” “See you around Fred. Must hurry.” GOING CUCKOO Last Wednesday Ros Mitchell in Bryanston heard this year’s first Piet-my-vrou cuckoo. A day later, Robert Couperthwaite, on the family’s farm in the Magaliesberg near Nooitgedacht, heard a single call before the rain fell. Oddly enough, his sister, Joan D’Arcy of Ruimsig, now living in Singapore, regularly heard the first cuckoo of the season.
So many readers have been asking again and again for a good Koeksuster recipe. Well, Annie Sieber from Crown National in Johannesburg obliged. Annie reckons this is the best and easiest Koeksuster recipe ever. Here we go …. Annie’s Koeksusters The Syrup What to get
Annie’s cooking tip The Dough Your shopping list
This recipe makes about 36 koeksusters. Enjoy it! Annie Sieber
If Eskom could generate a watt for every laugh at its expense it would solve the energy crisis and sell surplus power to meet China’s demand. South Africans can’t be accused of having no sense of humour if the “Eishkom” e-mails and cartoons are anything to go by: Do you know what the difference is between South Africa and the Titanic? The Titanic went down with its lights on. Madam & Eve have had a dig at the power utility as has Zapiro, while Nandos has started a new print campaign. “Eish kom nou,” the ad reads with a picture of a bottle of Nandos peri-peri sauce with a candle burning on its lid. “When the lights go out you can still enjoy a saucy night in.” But Escom managers don’t share the same funny bone. An e-mail sent to employees states: “In terms of the Escom Information Security Policy users shall not use any electronic communication facilities provided by Escom to create, send, forward, store or display material that is fraudulent, sexually explicit, obscene, defamatory, racially or sexually harassing, threatening, unlawful, contrary to the rules of Escom, the regulations of the appropriate Escom ethics body or otherwise illegal. “This is a request for Escom employees that receive these jokes to forward them to group communications and under no circumstances should these jokes be circulated,” it read.
Cape Town stands a chance of being placed on the map, or board, as one of the 22 greatest cities in a world version of property board game Monopoly. Monopoly has initiated a competition to find the greatest cities in the world, which will replace the street name’s on the game’s conventional version. Fans from across the globe can cast their votes online and be part of creating the first worldwide Monopoly.
Potential voters can vote for 10 great cities daily, while the 20 cities with the most votes will be selected to be placed on the World Edition game board. The city with the highest votes will be placed as the highest rent property. Amsterdam, London, Cape Town, Cairo and Buenos Aires are among the cities up for votes, while additional space will be reserved for two cities nominated through a wild card vote. The wild card vote is open to any city. Voting opened this week and closes on February 28. Voting can be cast through the SA Goodnews website www.monopolyworldvote.com
Why I am fleeing South Africa I am leaving South Africa . I have lived here for 35 years, and I shall leave with anguish. My home and my friends are here, but I am terrified. I know I shall be in trouble for saying so, because I am the widow of Alan Paton.
I am tired of driving with my car windows closed and the doors locked, tired of being afraid of stopping at red lights. I am tired of being constantly on the alert, having that sudden frisson of fear at the sight of a shadow by the gate, of a group of youths approaching – although nine times out of 10 they are innocent of harmful intent. Among my friends and the friends of my friends, I know of nine people who have been murdered in the past four years. An old friend, an elderly lady, was raped and murdered by someone who broke into her home for no reason at all; another was shot at a garage. We have a saying, “Don’t fire the gardener”, because of the belief that it is so often an inside job – the gardener who comes back and does you in. All this may sound like paranoia, but it is not without reason. I have been hijacked, mugged and terrorised. On May 1 last year I was mugged in my home at three in the afternoon. I used to live in a community of big houses with big grounds in the countryside. That afternoon I came home and omitted to close the security door. I went upstairs to lie down. After a while I thought I’d heard a noise, perhaps a bird or something. A few weeks later my new car was locked up in my fenced carport when I was woken by its alarm in the early hours of the morning. The thieves had removed the radio, having cut through the padlocks in order to bypass the electric control on the gates. The last straw came a a while later, shortly before my 71st birthday. Recently I telephoned to ask the magistrate when I would be called as a witness. She told me she had let him off for lack of evidence. I have been careless in the past – razor wire and electric gates give one a feeling of security. Or at least, they did. But I am careless no longer. A character in Cry, The Beloved Country says: “I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving they will find we are turned to hating.” And so it has come to pass. There is now more racial tension in this country than I have ever known. But it is not just about black-on-white crime. It is about general lawlessness. Black people suffer more than the whites. They do not have access to private security firms, and there are no police stations near them in the townships and rural areas. They are the victims of most of the hijackings, rapes and murders. They cannot run away like the whites, who are streaming out of this country in their thousands. President Mandela has referred to us who leave as “cowards” and says the country can do without us. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that criminals know that their chances of being caught are negligible; and if they are caught they will be free almost at once. So what is the answer Recently there was a robbery at a shopping centre in the afternoon. A call to the police station elicited the reply: “We have no transport.” “Just walk then,” said the caller; the police station is about a two-minute sprint from the shop in question. “We have no transport,” came the reply again. There is a quote from my husband’s book: “Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. What has changed in half a century? A lot of people who were convinced that everything would be all right are disillusioned, though they don’t want to admit it. The government has many excellent schemes for improving the lot of the black man, who has been disadvantaged for so long. A great deal of money is spent in this direction. However, nothing can succeed while people live in such fear. As I prepare to return to England , a young man asked me the other day, in all innocence, if things were more peaceful there. “Because the white man has power, we too want power,” says Msimangu. “But when a black man gets power, when he gets money, he is a great man if he is not corrupted. I have seen it often. He seeks power and money to put right what is wrong, and when he gets them, why, he enjoys the power and the money. I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating.
Crime News Update Some of our readers have asked us why they must read about blood and gore and all the bad things happening in South Africa in-between our lovely recipes and other nice stories. We agree. We all know how bad it is in our beloved country and that it is going from bad to worse. But, why should we be reminded about that in a newsletter that is trying to give some cheer.
The British Solution to Save Petrol Brown wants us to cut the amount of petrol we use…… I have a great idea. Let’s do the following:
This option will probably deter illegal immigration and provide a solution for the troops in Iraq and the aliens trying to make a better life for themselves. Problem solved!
The United Kingdom is “likely” to strip SA of its “visa-free” status this year because of rampant corruption in the Department of Home Affairs, the Sunday Times reported.
“The door is being shut because corrupt Home Affairs officials have been dishing out genuine passports to people smugglers, foreign asylum seekers and — allegedly — suspected terrorists wanting to enter Britain”, the report said. As a result, British immigration experts said, the South African passport was “no longer worth the paper it’s written on”. South Africa leapt to the top of the British government’s visa “hit list” last month following a British trial that heard that at least 6000 illegal Asian immigrants had been smuggled into Britain on South African passports. British immigration authorities are currently subjecting South Africa, with other countries, to a “Visa Waiver Test”, expected to end this year. Experts said South Africa was almost certain to fail on three of the six key criteria due to crime and Home Affairs corruption. On Friday, the British Home Office insisted a decision had not been made but admitted that the issues raised by a recent police operation “will be of concern to both governments”. Cleo Mosana, spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, acknowledged on Friday that there were “major issues about the integrity and credibility” of South African passports, the Sunday Times said. She said South Africa had met Britain to discuss the review. South Africa was attempting to deal with the passport corruption.
Die Boer en die Prokureur ‘n Boer, Piet, was in ‘n motor ongeluk. In die hof, is die vervoermaatskappy se hot shot prokureur besig om hom te ondervra. Het jy, op die ongelukstoneel, gesê: “Ek’s orraait!” vra die prokureur. Teen hierdie tyd is die regter al redelik geintresseerd in Piet se storie oor Bessie, en sê vir die prokureur: “Ek wil graag sy storie oor die koei hoor”. Ou Piet bedank die regter en gaan voort met sy storie. “Wel, soos ek gesê het, ek het net vir Bessie op die sleepwa gelaai en was op die pad toe daar skielik ‘n moerse trok van die kant af kom, ‘n stop straat skip en my bakkie en sleepwa in hulle moer in ry.
“Toe kom die spietkop oor die pad na my kant toe, sy pistool nogsteeds in sy hand, en hy vra: Hoe voel jy?” “Nou vertel vir my, meneer prokureur, wat de F…. sou jy vir hom gesê het?”
Van der Merwe jokes are not dead – they’ve merely been hibernating… Every Friday evening after work Van der Merwe would braai a big, fat juicy steak. They persuaded their priest to try to convert Van. Everybody was delighted. But when Friday night came the wonderful aroma of grilled steak again wafted over the neighbourhood. The priest rushed into Van’s garden just in time to see him clutching a small bottle of holy water and sprinkling it over the grilling meat and chanting, “You was born a cow, you was raised as a cow, but now you’s a kabeljou!” Exercise for over 40’s (or those nearing it…) Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 2kg potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax. Each day, you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 5kg potato bag. Then 25kg potato bag and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 50kg potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute (I’m at this level). After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the bags.
Lekker slaap om die wêreld/Goodnight around the world: South Africa: Is die deure gesluit, die vensters toegemaak
‘2010 won’t be canceled’ Local lads will have inside edge Polly a truly class act SA’s 2010 organisers take on critics, cynics
Our regular readers (like Annie and her comrades at Crown National) may have noticed that I have gone from a monthly issue to a bi-monthly one and even worse! The reason is simple. It is impossible to do a newsletter of this size on my own. I am an editor and rely on you the readers for input! You are probably sitting at the computer right now so how about it. Let our readers enjoy your story! You might have a nice recipe to part with or perhaps a question to ask? You never know how you could help somebody else with your own hints and tips. Share it with other people around the world! Click right here to start now or you can mail us at webmaster@biltongmakers.com
It’s almost Spring and now is the time for you guys in Europe and the UK to start stocking up for that first warm day when you haul out the braai for the first time this year! All our customers in Holland, Belgium and in fact, all over Europe are raving about the packing of and the condition in which the wors arrived at their doorsteps. Just imagine some “lekker” pap and wors with a nice tomato and onion sauce! Our Boerewors is vacuum packed in quantities of about 500 gram. You can also place your order by simply clicking here.
Droëwors, as it is known in South Africa, is as much part of the country’s culinary culture as Biltong, Pap, Boerewors and Potjiekos. Fresh droëwors is available right now and we normally have ample stock. The price is € 40.00 € 30.00 per kilogram vacuum pack or € 4.50 € 4.00 per 100 gram packet. Droëwors (like biltong) travels well and posting is an ideal option.
Now also available at DE WIJN KRAAL
Biltong is without doubt the snack most associated with South Africa! Biltongmakers.Com has for more than 12 years supplied their Home Biltong Makers to the South African expat so they could make their own biltong away from home.
So, from now on you will be able to get your biltong directly from us. The price is Euro 40.00 per 1kg vacuum pack or Euro 5.00 per 100 gram packet. Biltong travels well and posting is an ideal option. To place your order please go to www.biltongmakers.be and click on one of the order form links. You can also call us on +32 (16) 53.96.25 We will get right back to you with how much the postage will be.
(For outside the EU we must mention that we are not responsible for packets confiscated by customs in your country. Now also available at DE WIJN KRAAL
Well, some people are verrrrrrrrrry quick of the mark! And no wonder because they know what it is like to have a party or function with a lamb on the spit! Lamb on the Spit is a way of entertaining as only known by very few mainly because it is thought to be very expensive ……. Not so!
Together with the lamb we will treat you to a big pot of curried potatoes, a tomato/salsa salad as well as a choice between a pasta salad or three-bean salad. Garlic or bread rolls are included as well. Start planning now for those special occasions! Just keep in mind that quite a number of dates up to September are already booked! In fact, there are only three dates left between May and the end of July. June is fully booked.
Booking early is essential and you can do so on
+32 (16) 53.96.25 or email us. (A Lamb on the Spit can only be done outside because we cook on coals!)
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