Jerky was first introduced by the native South American (Peru) tribe called the Quechua (part of the former Inca Empire) in 1550. The product (Ch’arki), was boneless, defatted meat (venison, elk, or buffalo) sliced ​​and rubbed with salt. This meat was rolled in the skin of the animal for 10 to 12 hours and then dried in the sun or smoked over a fire.

In South America, Native Americans ate sun-dried venison and buffalo called tassajo, which were prepared with strips of meat dipped in cornmeal, dried in the sun and wind, and then rolled into tight balls. The Cree Indians of North America mixed berries and suet (fat) with pounded cooked meat and pressed them into small concentrated cakes to make pemmican.

Biltong stems from pioneering South African ancestors who sun-dried the meat while traveling across the African subcontinent. Folklore says that African tribesmen would place strips of venison under the saddles of their horses to tenderize and season the meat! The seasoning became a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar, coriander, and other spices.

The Indians and the first settlers dried the meat mainly of deer, elk or buffalo using salt, the spices they had and drying it in the sun. With the arrival of the Spanish, the name evolved into charqui. Most travelers preferred to crush the jerky between large stones and boil it in water before eating it. During oceanic exploration and colonization, Spanish sailors seeded the Pacific islands with goats. What could not be eaten was cut into strips and hung in their ships to air dry. When Spanish conquistadors invaded the Americas, they were shocked to see North American natives drying meat as well. Soon, the natives adopted the Spanish term, Charqui, just adding their accent; the word “jerky” appeared for the first time.

North American pioneers first dried meat by hanging it outside their covered wagon to dry in the sun (2-3 days). Another method was to build a scaffold over low heat and smoke the strips. While heat and smoke would complete the process in half a day, the smoking method required a scale; It wasn’t long before disease and germ awareness became prevalent and smoking became the norm.

Today, jerky is made from thin strips of virtually any meat or from meat that is ground or minced and formed. Manufacturers season and dehydrate the product; some introduce smoke or use liquid smoke for flavor.