When it comes to dried and dehydrated meat, the first products that come to mind are jerky and biltong. As far as dried meat snacks go, these two are probably by far the most popular here in Australia. Meanwhile, a snack that is popular among Southern parts of Africa has slowly started to make its way onto Australian shelves. This snack is called droëwors. Like biltong and jerky, it is predominantly made from beef and comes in a variety of styles and flavours.
What Is Droëwors Made Of?
Droëwors are made from minced meat and fat which is then seasoned and put into natural casings to create a thin sausage. The seasoning is a mix of salt, pepper, coriander and other spices to give it a traditional droëwors flavour. Like biltong, the whole sausages are then hung to dry for several days, meaning the end product has a nice soft chew as the middle of the sausage will have retained a small amount of moisture. Meanwhile, the addition of fat into the sausage mince gives it a delicious, buttery feel and flavour.
Currently, The Jerky Co offers traditional droëwors, and chilli droëwors for those who like a little extra spice.
What Is The Story Behind Droëwors?
Just like Biltong, it began as a Southern African snack food (droëwors translates to ‘dry sausage’ in Afrikaans). Popular in countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, it was based on the traditional, coriander seed spiced boerewors thick sausage which is made into a spiral shape and then cooked. Because boerewors doesn't keep well unrefrigerated, it was realised that drying these sausages by hanging them in hot dry African conditions was a good way to get them to keep for longer. And thus, the traditional droëwors was born.
Since then, dried meat producers and enthusiasts have put their own various takes on this old Southern African snack, but as is often the case, the original is usually the best. This is why we don't overdo it with loads of spices and complex flavours. The meat should always be the focus of the product, with the seasoning just providing a nice accompaniment.
Nutritional Benefits Of Droewors
Much like jerky and biltong, droëwors is a high protein snack, which is great for fuelling your body as well as helping you to feel fuller for longer. What sets droëwors apart is its higher fat content. There has been some contention over the pros and cons of including fat in our diets, but for those on a low-carb or keto diet, including fat in moderation is a good way to derive energy if it's not coming from carbohydrates.
Additionally, droëwors is an excellent source of iron and has about 1700mg less sodium per 100g than jerky. It's therefore fair to say that overall, it's a well balanced snack as far as nutritional value is concerned.
Best Ways To Enjoy Droewors
Because it has a nice soft chew, droewors can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes. Of course, it's great by itself as a snack, but it can also go really well as an accompaniment. Here are some ideas:
- Add it to a quiche
- Slice it up and add it to a baked potato
- Use droëwors slices on pizza
- Add it to your list of charcuterie board ideas
- As a protein boost to any salad
- Droëwors and cheese sandwich
- Crumbed droëwors and ricotta fritters
There's loads you can do with droëwors as alternatives to eating it by itself as a snack. Basically anything that you can add cured or cooked meats to, you can just substitute that out and use droëwors instead.
Droëwors By The Jerky Co
The key to perfecting this traditional cured sausage is in the drying process. A lot of other packaged droëwors that you will find on supermarket shelves is over dried and over seasoned to account for lengthy supply chains. But because we deliver ours to your door much fresher, we are able to achieve the perfect moisture content and therefore the ultimate chew. Dried meat is our passion, so as far as we are concerned there is no room for compromise in sticking to the best traditional recipes and drying processes.
Our traditional and chilli flavours are our first forays into the world of droëwors because we believe in perfecting the basics before experimenting with new ideas. Shop our range of delicious handmade droëwors online now, you won’t be disappointed!