Eat like ancient
Great Plains hunters with this simple recipe.
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These
patties were once the core of what historian George Colpitts
calls a "high-calorie energy regime." Sam O'Brien
for Gastro Obscura
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IN SECRETS OF POLAR TRAVEL, explorer Robert Peary spends several
pages waxing poetic about the merits of a ration he brought on his
expeditions to the Arctic between 1886 and 1909. In addition to
ranking it first in importance among his supplies, he
genuinely enjoyed the food, writing that it was the only meal a
man can eat twice a day for three hundred and sixty-five days in
a year and have the last mouthful taste as good as the first.
Peary was talking about pemmican, a blend of rendered fat and powdered,
dried meat that fueled exploration and expansion long before his
attempts to reach the North Pole. Archaeological evidence suggests
that as
early as 2800 BC humans hunted the bison that roamed North Americas
Great Plains and blended their meat, fat, and marrow into energy-dense
patties with a serious shelf-life. A single pound of pemmican lasted
for years and mightve packed as
many as 3,500 calories.
Pemmican is a legit ancient indigenous energy bar,
says Shane Chartrand, a chef from the Enoch Cree Nation in central
Alberta. Chartrands cookbook, tawâw (which, in
Cree, means come in, youre welcome, theres room),
contains a recipe for salmon-based pemmican, but he believes the
foods value lies in function more than flavor.
Some things are not meant to taste good; theyre meant
to make you survive. Ive hunted all my life. When youre
way out there and youre starving and you can feel your body
breaking down and youre tired and your sugars are low, it
doesnt matter if it tastes good. You want something that helps
you live and helps you keep moving. That was pemmican.
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An 1899 painting depicting
a Métis camp drying bison meat. LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES
CANADA, ACC. NO. 1989-492-2
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Archaeologists
theorize that it was pemmicans ability to help early Plains
cultures keep moving that allowed them to spread and develop into
the many indigenous groups that exist across the Northern United
States and Canada today. As different culturesfrom Cree to
Ojibwe to Blackfoot to Siouxmade their own versions over subsequent
millennia, names and recipes varied. Most makers used bison, while
others opted for venison or fish. Some blended in dried chokecherries
or saskatoons, while others cooked the final patty into a stew known
as rubaboo. The end result was always high-octane, easily-portable
nourishment.
By the 1770s, pemmican had attracted the attention of fur-trading
companies that were expanding across British-controlled Canada.
As voyageurs burned massive amounts of calories paddling canoes
loaded with goods, they turned to pemmican to replace their inadequate
corn-heavy diets. The Métis, a community of skilled bison
hunters descended from French voyageurs and their indigenous wives,
dominated the pemmican trade. In the early 1800s, the food became
such a coveted commodity that actual battles over accessknown
as the Pemmican Warbroke out between fur traders, settlers,
and Métis. But pemmicans popularity would be its undoing.
By the 1880s, overhunting had caused the near-extinction of the
American bison and, as a result, the decline of the food itself.
Some indigenous communities still make pemmican today, though,
and its not difficult to make your own. The below recipe simply
requires lard, meat, berries, and the patience to wait while the
ingredients dry. While modern diners might not find themselves as
enamored as a delicacy-deprived hunter or explorer, the slightly
sweet-and-savory result offers a glimpse into the flavor and fuel
behind North Americas original energy bar.
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You can swap in dried
beef for bison, then add dried blueberries and lard. Sam O'Brien
for Gastro Obscura
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Inspired by the Recipe From FirstNations.org
1 cup dried meat (bison, venison, or beef)
1/3 cup dried berries
2 tablespoons lard (do not substitute shortening or butter)
Optional: sugar to taste
1. Dry the Meat
Whatever you choose for your meat, make sure its
lean. Remember that its going to shrink as it dries (condensing
nourishment into a smaller package is one of pemmicans greatest
qualities). For instance, about 1.52 pounds of raw beef will
yield about 1.52 cups when dried. Cut against the grain into
strips (chilling the meat in the freezer for an hour beforehand
makes for cleaner cutting), lay out on a sheet, and place in an
oven preheated to its lowest setting, typically around 170 degrees
Fahrenheit. Depending on the thickness of your meat, it could take
up to 12 hours to fully dry. Youll know the meat is ready
when its dry but still pliable.
For anyone who thinks buying beef jerky is a nice shortcut, think
again: As historical-food re-creator Jon Townsend points out, commercial
jerky has preservatives such as nitrates, which will negatively
alter the final flavor, and its cut with the grain, which
will make it more difficult to
grind the meat into a powder.
2. Dry the Berries
Chokecherries or saskatoons are the most traditional choices,
but blueberries, cranberries, and most other berries will also work.
If you have fresh berries, you can either use a food dehydrator
or an oven set to low heat. Depending on your equipment, times for
drying out the berries can vary greatly, from several hours to a
full day. If using an oven, break the berries skins (slicing
or poking holes works fine) to allow their juice to evaporate. Keep
an eye on them. Youll know theyre ready when theyre
completely dry with no juice left.
3. Make the Lard
If you dont have lard lurking in the fridge,
you can buy it premade or make it yourself. The first option is
easier, but requires some sleuthing, as many prepackaged lards use
unhealthy preservatives. Look for non-hydrogenated
options.
But if you want reliably high-quality lard, you should make it
yourself. Order some fatback or leaf fat from your local butcher.
(Call ahead to see if theres a way to arrange safe delivery
or pickup. They wont find it weird if you ask for a big batch
of fat. People use lard for a multitude of reasons, so theyve
likely done this before.)
As with the meat, briefly chill the fat in the freezer, then cut
it into small cubes. Place the fat in a slow-cooker or a pot on
the stovetop with ¼ cup of water. Both should be set to low.
The process typically takes two to four hours. Periodically check
the pot, stirring occasionally. Youll know its ready
when most of the cubes have liquified. Filter out any cracklings
with a strainer and cheesecloth or paper towel, then place the liquid
in an air-tight container. Leave out at room temperature until it
starts to set, then move to the refrigerator.
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The ground-up meat-and-berry
powder. Sam O'Brien for Gastro Obscura
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4. Make the Pemmican
Now its time to make your meat powder. Grind the dried meat
in a food processor or, if you want to approximate the traditional
method of a pounding stone, get your hands on a mortar and pestle.
Repeat with the berries and combine the powders in a bowl. Melt
2 tablespoons of lard, then add to the bowl and mix until its
sticky enough to be formed into patties. Add another tablespoon
of lard if the mixture is still too powdery. If youd like
to add sugar, use about one tablespoon. Shape into patties and let
dry.
The results wont be beautiful, but appearances dont
seem to stop anyone from eating todays bland-brick energy
bars. Grab a piece of pemmican and savor the flavor of one of historys
oldest enduring meals.
First
Nations Development Institute
First Nations is the most highly-rated American Indian nonprofit
in the nation, meeting strict criteria of top charity watchdogs.
https://www.firstnations.org
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