· By Avi MAHARJAN
Droewors vs Biltong: Which One Should You Try
If you have found your way to biltong, droewors is the next thing on the shelf you have not tried. Same tradition, completely different eating experience.
The difference in one line
Biltong is dried whole muscle beef. Droewors is dried sausage.
| Biltong | Droewors | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Whole cuts of beef | Coarse ground beef in a casing |
| Shape | Thick slices or chunks | Thin sticks |
| Texture | Tender, slight chew, crumbles | Snappy, drier, more brittle |
| Spice | Coriander led, salt forward | Coriander and clove, closer to boerewors |
| Fat | Marbling from the cut | Fat mixed through the grind |
| Drying time | Days | Usually faster, it is thinner |
| Eats like | Sliced steak | A snack stick |
What droewors actually is
Droewors, sometimes written drywors, is dried boerewors. Afrikaans again: droe meaning dry, wors meaning sausage.
The sausage is made the traditional way, coarse ground beef with coriander, clove and vinegar in a natural casing, then hung to dry rather than grilled. The casing shrinks around the meat and the whole thing firms up into a stick you can snap.
Because the fat is distributed through the grind rather than sitting in one seam, it dries more evenly than a whole muscle would.
Why the texture is so different
Biltong keeps the structure of the muscle, so it tears along the grain and gives you that tender, slightly yielding bite.
Droewors has no grain. It was ground before it was dried, so it has no direction to tear along. That is why it snaps rather than pulls, and why it feels drier in the mouth even at a similar moisture level.
Which one should you start with?
Start with biltong if you want something that eats like meat, or if you are buying for someone who has never had either.
Start with droewors if you want something you can eat one handed without thinking about it. It is the better car, desk and walking snack, and it is usually the one children reach for first because the pieces are small.
Most people who buy both end up keeping both in the cupboard for different moments.
Storing them
Both are shelf stable, but they keep drying once the bag is open. If you like yours on the softer side, seal it properly and eat it within a week or two. If you prefer it dry, leave the bag open and let it do its thing.
Fridge storage slows the drying but can make biltong sweat if the bag is sealed tight, so let it breathe.
Try them side by side
We make both in Mortdale from Australian beef, air dried in small batches.
The biltong and drywors pack exists exactly for this comparison, or buy drywors on its own if you already know where you stand.
