South African Meats??

Does anyone know where I can find South African Boewors and Biltong in the Chicago area?? Are there any South African import food stores???

MelissaBaldwin wrote:Does anyone know where I can find South African Boewors and Biltong in the Chicago area?? Are there any South African import food stores???

If you're ever in Melbourne, Australia, I know where I'd send you straight away for South African biltong, but I have no idea in Chicago. If you're open to mail order, perhaps the company from which nr706 bought kangaroo for last year's LTH picnic might be able to help. I think he said they sold exotic meats of various kinds. You might ask him.

BTW, just as a nerdy (and perhaps puerile) aside, all of my years of studying the Dutch language were worth it to learn the word "biltong." Melissa, you probably know this, but I love this etymology:

biltong

From Afrikaans, from bil (“buttock, hindquarter”), from Middle Dutch bille, + tong (“tongue”), from Middle Dutch tonghe.

Exotic Meats has a lot of interesting stuff, but I haven't seen any South African Boewors or Biltong on their site. Wouldn't hurt to give them a phone call, though - they seem to have a myriad of sources for all kinds of things.

ExoticMeats USA
1003 NE loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78209
(800) 680-4375

Melissa-
You might try

http://chicagogame.us/

Also, I seem to remember an exotic-meat supplier a little southwest of the city; not being an exotic-meat eater (well, I once had a nice monkey stew far away and quite a long time ago), so I didn't pay much attention.

You might query on the Chowhound Chicago forum. (Not to dis LTH, but it would tap some additional sources of info.)

Hi,

There are several AFrican markets in the area:

Kejetia Supermarket in Oak Park

Other African markets

While these may be other regions of AFrica. There is the chance what you want is available though with a different name.

I would also suggest contacting the Cultural Attache at the South AFrican Consulate in Chicago. If they don't know where you can find these products, they very likely can advise what they substitute to get a close approximation to what you want. I having a quasi ex-pat life in the past was quite inventive in creating familiar foods from local sources.

South African Consulate
(312) 939-7929
200 S Michigan Ave, #600
Chicago, IL

Regards,

The SA consulate can also connect you with the Indaba email list and someone there can probably help you.

The only biltong I've ever seen here has been that brought back by individuals for personal use. I've never seen it for sale.

Ream's Elburn Market carries house made biltong and possibly boewors, but I'd advise to call first.

Ream's Elburn Market, Inc
128 North Main Street
Elburn, IL, 60119
630-365-6461

MelissaBaldwin wrote:Does anyone know where I can find South African Boewors and Biltong in the Chicago area??

While not exactly in the Chicago area, I do know of a source for boewors in the Midwest that may be wiling to ship. Montello's is a lovely family run butcher in Holland, Michigan that among its lovingly prepared grass fed dry aged steaks and homemade sausages has a nice selection of old world Dutch delicacies such as scrapple-like balkenbrij and apparently a few items of Dutch colonial heritage as well. Their boewors is a nice sausage- I have no benchmark to compare it to- but the coriander inflected beef sausage makes a nice addition to the summer cook out rotation.

Montello's Meats
746 Michigan Ave,
Holland, MI 49423-6943
(616) 392-2253

electric mullet wrote:Ream's Elburn Market carries house made biltong and possibly boewors, but I'd advise to call first.

Ream's Elburn Market, Inc
128 North Main Street
Elburn, IL, 60119
630-365-6461

Ream's definately makes boewors as I have a package in my freezer.
Jamie

Diannie wrote:The only biltong I've ever seen here has been that brought back by individuals for personal use. I've never seen it for sale.

are you asking for south african style (really the only style probably) that's reproduced here, or actually imported from there? (or you don't care where it's made?)

i dated someone from SA who would occasionally get it from someone traveling from south africa, supposedly the same thing couldn't be found anywhere here, and it was supposedly illegal. it might also be legal or not legal depending on the game used (this was impala, not beef)... most likely, the "illegal" aspect was due to the fact that the person bringing it here was doing so via the airport customs, which i'm sure is not legal .... even so, i suspect it's hard to find Biltong made from impala or something exotic here, but someone has to be making something from game we have domestically... (i believe there's also a political issue brewing over hunting of various game in SA, some of which is being done so illegally, so that might also relate to the lack of exportation) ...

a quick google for biltong US reveals this place claiming they're the first in the US to have USDA inspected biltong... http://www.biltongusa.com ...though it's made from beef ... and then there's this place http://www.800biltong.com/aboutus.htm ...both appear to be making it themselves though, not importing it, which kinda makes me think there's a reason they're making it themselves

Animals in South Africa are subject to many types of pests and diseases that will not allow meat to be imported.-Dick