|
I have heard it said that bananas are the world’s most perfect food but I would like to nominate Jerky to take over that top spot. Bananas are tasty I will admit, but their super short shelf life makes them less than ideal as far as portability, taking them along for long road trips, keeping them in your bag or purse could create quite a mess. Plus, you do not have to peel Jerky! It is a very healthy and potable snack that will not go bad quickly because it is dried out a preserved very well. It will generally come in an airtight sealed bag so it will keep for a very long time until you a ready to enjoy it. Some are even vacuum sealed and contain those mysterious little silica white packets and say ‘do not eat’ that also contributes to the long life of the snack.
Americans have always had an affinity for this tasty and protein rich snack food. The origins are thought to predate the nineteenth century and come from somewhere in South America. The Quechua tribe were the first known makers of Jerky, which they called charki. In addition to beef, these Indians used elk, buffalo, deer and other meets. They would add salt to them and dry them out over a low fire. This process preserved the meat for long periods of time that way the meat could be consumed weeks after it was cured in the event that other means of sustenance were unavailable. Since refrigeration was unavailable, this process of drying out their food was the only known method of preserving meat for any significant length of time.
Once we borrowed this technique from our American ancestors, we began to improve upon the process, adding spices and other flavors to the meat in order to make it more enjoyable and create different varieties for different taste buds. Also, instead of just drying out over an open flame, today we use ovens as well as food dehydrators.
|
|
