Pemmican

Pemmican ( from the language of the Cree: pimikan to PIM II, " fat " ) is a nutritious and durable blend of crushed dried meat and fat, which led the Indians of North America as food for the journey and emergency rations with them.

Pemmican is produced in a traditional way from bison or other dark meat is first cut into thin slices and dried completely and then roasted and crushed. Then it is kneaded in a ratio of approximately three to one with tallow and bone marrow fat to a paste which can be preserved for a long time. As a variant, also dried berries, especially among the tribes of the east coast, such as the Iroquois, mixed ( then called it Mokakin ). In South America, there is a related preparation of previously cured dried meat called Charqui (Spanish ) or Charque ( Portuguese).

Pemmikan weighs about one fifth of the raw meat used in the preparation. It can be consumed directly or, if fire, water and other ingredients available to serve as a basis for courts. Because of its high nutrient content and its durability it has long been internationally widespread as provisions on expeditions and is now produced industrially, often with the addition of dried fruits and cereals. Pemmican was for the military to strategically important Logistikgut, also in the exploration of the polar regions and the high mountains, it was a vital source of energy (see also Hoosh ). Today it is still in extended outdoor trips use.

The main component of pemmican, powder of crushed flesh, knew next to Native Americans also nomads in West Africa and Central Asia (Mongolia: Borts ), herdsmen in Tibet and in Europe the Celts. With boiling water, it was similar to modern instant products, in a short time a nutritious soup.