Iroline’s work – Chapter 4

Good evening everybody.

Today we are visiting Iroline’s place at work, she is running a small Biltong Shop in Walvis Bay within the gallery of Pick & Pay supermarket.

Biltong, in Namibia like in South Africa is a delicacy.

It is Easter time, and people like having hampers as part of the celebration.

People also offer biltong for birthdays, weddings, at Christmas and also as a way to say thank you.

For the beef biltong and probably also for the game as well, they slice long pieces off the flesh (average 30cm), soak in spices for 1 day and hang it with fans for 3 days.

There are probably many other recipes.

On the farm, to dry the meat, they just hang it in the wind with a mesh or a fine net to protect the meat from the flies.

They can be made of beef, or game (leaner), and with various spices, size and shapes and also adding some extra fat.

At the end of the video, the lady is asking Iroline to put beer in the 2 hampers as a present for her sons.

Iroline said that sometimes it is the client’s choice instead of putting say chocolates or sweets if people are diabetic (or not) they would put beer, or add a couple of bottles of wine.

Droewors (dried sausage) they mince the meat, put spices, make in in a sausage form and dry it.

You also have chili patties (they flatten the mincemeat with spices, make them round, dry them), …they also have dried sausage twisted with fat. In general here, people like fat and some enjoy to eat it raw like this.

The price for the 2 hampers is $250 which is about 12 euros.

They have also sausages mixed with pork and next to it smoked beef.

Fat rollitjies. Pieces of biltong in a round form with fat in the middle ; beef sticks. ; Meat balls, with chilli and plain.

Iroline said that her favourite biltong is sweet chilli and chilli bites as she likes to bite it together with the fat. Iroline said that biltong makes you feel relaxed. They have a slogan. Keep calm and eat biltong.

Elaboration of the hampers

Iroline said that what she liked most about her job is to make hampers and talking to the customers.

Some are regular customers and when she sees them even if they are going to another shop she knows what they will want and already prepare the biltong ahead of time for them.

She runs the shops on her own from opening in the morning to closing the shop at night.

Iroline’s picture with finished hampers.

I hope you enjoyed our Biltong episode

Our next and final episode with Iroline will be in the shanty town where she and her family invite us to share a traditional meal from her Damara Nama tribe.

Good evening to all
Kind regards.

Murielle