Beef Jerky - historically seen

Jerky appeared in various forms over centuries on all continents. The beef jerky, as we know it and produce for Simple Jerky, originally comes from an ancient tribe of the Incas, the Quechua, who lived in present-day Peru. The Quechua called their dried meat "Ch'Arki". With the arrival of the Spaniards in South America, "Ch'Arki" quickly spread. The conquistadors recognized the usefulness and nutritional value of Ch'Arki and it became an essential part of their provisions. The Spaniards brought their Charqui, as they called it, to the North American continent. In what is now the USA, Native Americans were already processing buffalo or bison meat into jerky at that time. This "Pemmikan" served either as an emergency ration or as travel provisions. A combination of the Spanish Qu'Arki and the Indian Pemmikan was immediately adopted by trappers, settlers, and cowboys as a nutritious, easy-to-transport, and long-lasting snack and was ultimately renamed "Jerky".

Jerky was of course not only found on the North and South American continents. In South Africa, meat was also preserved by drying. Indigenous tribes such as the Khoikhoi salted various types of meat and preferably hung it high in trees to dry. European settlers adopted this way of processing meat, refined it further with spices, and finally called it Biltong.

For the history lovers among you, here is an interesting article on the history of beef jerky:

Ch'Arki - The Original Jerky Method of Preserving Meat