Wild Strawberry Pemmican

The great preservation food of the North American Plains: rendered fat and dried meat pounded with dried wild strawberries and other berries into a dense, calorie-rich travel food that sustained Indigenous peoples and later fur traders across thousands of miles

Origin: Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands, North America

From the journey of Strawberry.

Pemmican, from the Cree word pimîhkân, derived from pimî (fat), is one of the great technological achievements of Indigenous food culture in North America. It was made by drying meat (typically bison, venison or elk) until completely desiccated, then pounding it fine and mixing it with rendered animal fat and dried berries, including wild strawberries, chokecherries, saskatoon berries and blueberries. The mixture was pressed into cakes or bags and would keep for years without refrigeration. It provided a complete source of protein, fat and carbohydrates: a near-perfect survival food. The Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company depended on pemmican to fuel their vast fur-trading networks across the continent. Wild strawberries added both sweetness and acidity that balanced the fat, as well as providing vitamin C. A version with strawberries was particularly prized in the Eastern Woodlands regions where Fragaria virginiana grew abundantly.

Ingredients

Meat

  • 500 g lean beef or venison, very thinly sliced (3mm)

Fruit

  • 200 g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

Dried fruit

  • 100 g dried cranberries or blueberries (or additional dried strawberries)

Fat

  • 250 g beef tallow or rendered suet (lard as substitute)

Seasoning

  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground

Method

  1. Dry the sliced beef in a dehydrator at 70°C for 6–8 hours, or in an oven at its lowest setting (60–70°C) with the door slightly ajar, until the meat is completely desiccated and brittle; it should snap, not bend.
  2. Slice the fresh strawberries thinly (3mm) and place on a drying tray. Dry in the dehydrator at 55°C for 8–10 hours or in the oven at lowest setting until completely dried and leathery. They should be dark red and have no sticky moisture.
  3. Once the dried meat is completely cool, place it in a food processor or large mortar and pound/process until it forms a coarse, fibrous powder.
  4. Chop or break the dried strawberries into small pieces. Combine with the powdered meat, other dried berries, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
  5. Gently melt the beef tallow in a small saucepan until fully liquid. Allow to cool until warm but not hot; about 50–55°C.
  6. Pour the warm fat over the meat and berry mixture. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or your hands until every particle is coated and the mixture coheres when squeezed.
  7. Press the mixture firmly into a shallow baking dish lined with baking parchment to a depth of about 2cm. Allow to cool and set completely; about 2 hours at room temperature or 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Cut into bars.

Notes

True traditional pemmican used no spices; just meat, fat and berries. This version includes salt and pepper as a concession to modern taste. The key to long-lasting pemmican is ensuring every component is completely dry before the fat is added. A single undried strawberry can ruin an entire batch. The ratio of strawberry to other berries can be adjusted to taste; more strawberry gives a sweeter, more tart result.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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