Former rugby professional Nicolaas Uys brings the authentic taste of his homeland to the Czech Republic with his bistro, Saffa Maso. What began as a small hobby has grown into a success story centred around traditional biltong and South African delicacies.
Meeting Nicolaas Uys, one immediately senses his passion – for rugby and for quality meat. The South African native arrived in the Czech Republic at just twenty years old to pursue a career as a professional rugby player. Soon, however, he brought a piece of his homeland to Europe: the traditional South African dried meat, biltong.
Uys played for the Prague club Tatra Smíchov and later for the Czech national rugby team. At the same time, he began making biltong in the traditional South African way – initially just for friends and teammates. The enthusiasm was great, and step by step, today’s company Saffa Maso emerged, which Nicolaas runs together with his wife Martina. In their small Prague bistro, they combine South African passion with Czech groundedness.
“I grew up in South Africa, where rugby and biltong are simply part of life,” Uys explains. “When I moved to the Czech Republic, I realised there was hardly any real biltong here. So I started making it myself – using the recipe I know from home.”
In South Africa, rugby is the number one national sport – and biltong is the indispensable companion on and off the field. “Even as a child, I looked up to the top players,” recalls Nicolaas. “Between school and training, biltong was my constant snack – a delicious, protein-rich source of energy.”
Today, Saffa Maso stands not only for authentic dried meat but also for the joy of life and culinary culture of South Africa. Alongside various types of biltong, the bistro offers a selection of fine South African wines: full-bodied reds that pair beautifully with beef, fresh whites, and sparkling wines for festive occasions.
Saffa Maso is now not only a destination for lovers of authentic biltong but also a meeting point for the South African community in the Czech Republic. “The South African community here is constantly growing, and that makes me very happy,” says Nicolaas. “We have our own Facebook group, ‘South Africans in the Czech Republic,’ which now counts around 900 members.”
Anyone entering the bistro immediately feels the connection of two worlds – the energy of the rugby field and the aroma of spiced, air-dried meat. Yet Nicolaas is already thinking a step ahead: he plans to delight his guests even more in the future with South African dishes – in his own restaurant. When and where exactly, you will of course find out here with us.
Those unable to visit Nicolaas in person need not miss out: his biltong and other specialties are conveniently available through his online shop, which can be easily translated into English using Google, and delivered across Europe. Further information about the products and Saffa Maso can be found at www.saffamaso.com.
Saffa Maso Biltong Prague
Bistro: Sokolovská 146/150a, 180 00 Praha 8
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