VN – 15 Feb, 2026

One of the most rewarding parts of the Fermenting Cultures project has been just how many of the African and diasporan fermented foods we have found in our neighbourhood in South London. A late-night trip to my local Lidl supermarket (long story), and I discover South African biltong at the checkout. Biltong is spiced, air dried, cured meat, usually beef. Curing meat involves fermentation. This is a surprise to me, partly because there is not a large South African community in Brixton, and Lidl is a major supermarket.

This particular biltong is produced by Lidl in the UK and is certainly marketed at mainstream consumers. There is no mention on the packaging that biltong originates in South Africa, which is interesting seeing at it is being sold as 'original' biltong.

As a non-meat eater, I’ve not sampled it myself, but Kundai, as our official fermented meat-taster, will give it a try. We'll report back. We may have to reclaim this biltong in our ferment bank!