Survival was an everyday hassle for Native Americans in the past, reason why they had developed many means that overturned the hurtles of surviving outdoors.
One impeccable survival skill the Indians possessed was turning their fresh food supplies into durable, unspoiled provisions.
Today I will highlight a survival super-food invented by the Cree Native American Tribe that can withstand years and even decades of storage.
It’s called pemmican and it packs a whole bunch of nutrients. Made almost exclusively out of fat and proteins, pemmican can nourish your energy stocks with just a few bites.
On top of that, it is extremely easy to make, the ingredients are fairly easy to find, and its taste is praised by the majority of survivalists and meat lovers who have tried it.
Pemmican’s name is derived from one of its key ingredients – fat. “Pimî” is the Cree word for “fat,” or “grease,” spelled “pimîhkân.”
Numerous Europeans involved in the trading of furs have embraced pemmican due to its high-energy content and durability, and was later adopted by prominent explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic.
This effective super-food hasn’t lost its popularity ever since, and is now filling the bug out bags and food storages of seasoned preppers and survivalists.
Besides stashing our bags with pemmican, it’s essential to know how to prepare it.
You might think that I’m throwing in big words to buy you into this, but the truth lies in plain sight.
Pemmican is made out of basic ingredients (very basic), meaning that you’ll be able to produce it even if SHTF, or if you’re struggling to survive into the wild.
This is the exact reason why Native Americans embraced pemmican. It’s so easy to make, and there are countless ways to customize this super-snack based on individual tastes.
Let’s have a look at this timeworn recipe that hasn’t undergone any changes from its original hundred-years-old form.
Making Pemmican
The pemmican recipe has been passed down one generation after another. Although the basic formula has remained the same, people have spiced things up by adding various other ingredients.
In the past, Native Americans added dried fruits to the main mix, but they only did it for ceremonial purposes and weddings.
Among the most savored ingredients were blueberries, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, and choke cherries. They remain widely used today depending on each individual’s preferences.
Now back to the important part – the base recipe.
Just like the name pemmican suggests, all you need is meat and fat.
If Native Americans used to obtain these ingredients from the abundance of wildlife they hunted, they are now easily accessible to us at our local food supplier or the supermarket.
- Once you get your hands on some venison, beef, caribou, elk, or moose meat with a decent layer of natural fat, you can get the process started. Remember that meat with low fat won’t work!
- Next you’ll have to remove the fat and chop the meat off before slicing it into thin strips.
- Hang them somewhere to dry until they become hardy and crisp. Native Americans were drying meat slowly over a campfire, or directly into the sunlight.
- During this time the meat will lose water and shrink. About five pounds of meat (2,300 g) will turn into one pound (450g) of dried meat used for pemmican.
- Next step will be grinding the meat until it turns close to a powder. Native Americans mostly used rocks for the process, but now we have options such as food processors and blenders. If you’re doing this somewhere into the wild, the best chance you have is by using the mortar and pestle, or the old Indian ways.
- You’re already half way to obtaining your tasty super-snack. Now it’s time to bring some heat to the fat. Add it in a bowl and keep it under a low fire until it melts and starts to boil. At this point, strain it through a mesh strainer.
- Get everything ready for the main mix. If you have any dry fruits in mind that you would add, now it’s the appropriate time to do it. Add them in a bowl together with the meat powder and pour the fat over them.
- Once you have the final mix, you’ll have to mold it into pemmican bars. You can do this by adding the mix into a shallow pan and leave it to dry before cutting it into smaller strips.
That was about it. Now store the resulted pemmican away from heat sources. Native Americans used to keep it into rawhide bags, but you can use any recipient, including those made of plastic.
The pemmican has a lifespan of up to one decade without spoiling. You can carry it in your bug out bag and make any outdoor travel a breeze.
Additionally, you can store the pemmican for when SHTF. Its nutritious content will help you get through the hard times ahead.
I hope this recipe will aid you in your quest for survival. Sharing the pemmican recipe is also a great way to honor our ancestors.
While many traditional dishes are lost to the darkness of time, pemmican seems to outlast them all due to its simplicity, practicality, and taste.