Pemmican

[Crewdawg445]

I've never made it nor ate it. If one decides to research pemmican it's extremely interesting to see how important this food item was not only to Natives, but the Metis and Voyageurs. Also to think an actual battle broke out between employees of the trade companies to the point were the crown had to step in and force a cooperative joining of the sides.

So... pemmican, certainly seems like it indeed has stood the test of time. Between this and ash cakes I'm hopefully set!

What are your takes on this particular food? Differing recipes? Methods for preparation to cooking? Unfortunately my weakness seems to be 18th century cooking besides harvesting wild edibles. I hate packing a cooler and would very much like to completely cut one out at event's with pemmican it seems very plausible!

 

[coloradoclyde]

I have to admit,....I'm a Foodie... :grin:

If I'm going to sleep on the ground, sweat, breathe in wood smoke and get ate by mosquitoes.....I'm at least going to eat well...

What can I say?.....I have a 21st century palate. :haha:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Gee Crewdawg.....
judging by the enormity of comments,
I think pemmican was an Iroquois battle cry.....It seems to strike fear in white men.... :haha:

 

[George]

A good thread on pemmican, note the quotation by David Thompson.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...ost/1394713/hl/pemmican/fromsearch/1/#1394713

Spence

 

[Black Hand]

Pemmican was "emergency food" or "travel food". A mixture of pounded dried meat and rendered fat (berries were optional). I suspect it wasn't eaten regularly unless game was scarce.

As to events - bacon, sausages and fresh meat will keep several days if kept cool in the shade. There is no need to eat "modern" unless desired and there are many options to avoid a cooler. I tend to limit myself to period rations at events just for the experience.

 

[tenngun]

Townsend has some good cooking vids on you tube about camp ready hc foods that can be made from foods you don't have to keep in an ice chest. Boiled puddings meat pies ect are great camp meals. Salted meats are very good,
Many old cookbooks are avallible . You can eat well and not limit your self to pemmican jerky and porridge.

 

[Black Hand]

If needed, making a cooler that resembles a period chest/trunk is not that difficult. You can have the best of both worlds...and cold beer.

 

[Crewdawg445]

tenngun I love his videos!

I like very simple with minimal gear... I'm to the point were I don't even like to pack my 1 quart trade kettle. Cooking over coals with pawpaw leaves as an insulation layer has become a very enjoyable and favorite thing of mine to do. Hence why I like the idea and simplicity of pemmican.

Black Hand I agree with your ration idea at events. I'm not opposed to it one bit and actually prefer the foods that shy some away. Can't tell you how many nasty MRE's I've not enjoyed over the years... ham and eggs still makes me want to vomit just thinking about it.

Anywho, I actually have an event next weekend that I'll be taking nothing but pemmican and ships biscuits. Should be interesting but I'm looking forward to it!

On the cooler idea, already started one! 3/4" pine with foam insulation boards sealed inside. Just hate even dragging it and it's not even that cumbersome! Not a drinker so beer doesn't tag along. On a side note, Silky makes unbelievable homemade wine so I do enjoy a small cup here and there when at events. :thumbsup:

 

[Black Hand]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubaboo http://frenchinwisconsin.com/2013/05/voyage-en-canot/

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Actually I should think you'd take a pound of Rockahominy long before you'd take Pemmican, and before ship's biscuit. Pemmican was very often a winter food as well as an emergency food.

In addition to that you should think about raisins, ESPECIALLY in Summer. Carrying simple trail rations as "they did" you're going to run the risk in hot weather of heat cramps. Raisins, a very widely traded food in the 18th century, have lots of potassium, which is what you want to ward off those cramps. I'm sure you're aware that normal salt isn't going to help with cramps the way the potassium does. Raisins also have sugar, which is good if you need a boost of energy.

LD

 

[coloradoclyde]

The problem is that, at an event you usually can't go hunting, fishing or foraging...

Keep in mind that, many of the Indians of the Iroquois nations were "farmers"

Lunch this time of year may have simply been procured fresh from a garden and or by foraging.
Green beans in particular this time of year.
Vegies will usually keep long enough for an event, although it goes without saying that people weren't as picky back then as we may be today.

 

[Black Hand]

You can't go wrong with "Hog & Hominy".
For me, trail rations are dried meat and parched corn.

 

[tenngun]

You can make an ice chest that looks like an historic chest. You can also keep an ice chest in your tent with a blanket on it.
I don't do either one, I like experimenting with historic foods, and like them I found you don't need an ice chest.
And that brings up beer. In New Mexico where I grew up at we had 'lone star' beer advertised as a beer brewed to be served ice cold. My dad commented to me that cheap beers had to be cold to tolerate drinking them. Many rich flavored beers taste great at room temp.
A good stout or porter, or a beer like Bass ale or Sam Adams Boston lager are very good 'warm'. Also look to some of the craft seasonal beers. Many have rich flavored that only come out when room temp.
And think hard cider. It was very common in the day. It was more expensive then beer back then but was a preferred drink. Nor should one forget punch. You can make these so they are no stronger then beer per tankard.

 

[omarick1948]

Pemmican!... :barf:
This is where any HC/PC stops at my camp. I like cooking GOOD food while at camp and Pemmican doesn't qualify unless you want a violent case of the "HERSEY SQUIRTS"!... :shocked2:

 

[George]

I've never found a reference to the use of pemmican in the 18th century east of the Mississippi. If anyone has such, I'd like to see them posted.

It's my impression it was a later, more western food of the NAs.

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

Do voyagers count?
I don't have a primary source....but the general opinion is that voyagers ate pemmican....Among other things.
http://whiteoakhistoricalsociety.org/historical-library/fur-trade/food/

 

[coloradoclyde]

From George Nelson's journals....

We encamped at night, in a bend of the river near the "Pointe Clere" [Claire] Church. I assisted in putting up the Tent & spreading our oil cloth, which was our flooring, our beds, consisting of 4 excellent blankets sewed up in sheeting, like a mattress, & 2 to cover us, all rolled in a piece of oil cloth, served us for seats. But we had to sit cross-leg, tailor fashion, round our dish, when at meals. We kindled a fire out-doors & boiled our Tea Kettle, & the men hung their Tea Ketdes on the "tripled" to make their Soupe. Our Kitchen furniture was a Tea Kettle, a tin Kettle to cook in, a frying pan; tinned plates, pewter basins of about a pint for tea. Knives, forks, spoons &c all put in a very convenient travelling Basket, a liquor case containing Six flagons of Jamaica, Shrub & wine, besides other small Kegs of two Gallons each. Our provisions, tea, Sugar, pork & biscuit of excellent quality & in plenty

he took Black & myself in his canoe. Here, also, Indian corn was served out to the men for their rashions and also for the voyage to the "Grand portage," a change by no means relished by the people, as this was all they had except some "grease," tallow, to season it with.

 

[crockett]

Hey there Crewdawgg:
First you make beef jerky. This should be "real" jerky- just dry- no salt, no flavorings, etc. Now pound it into shreds. The NDNs cut meat strips "with the grain" so their pounded up bits were fibers. Today folks cut meat across the grain so shorter fibers. I do it the traditional way. Of course the original was under a fire so it had a nice smokey flavor.
On the fat, the NDNs used rendered fat and marrow fat. If you are a dude and like life nice- get that marrow fat and melt it and mix in the shredded jerky.
That kind of pemmican ought to last for years. I think there was some 80 years old in Wyoming a guy nibbled on and said it was still good.
The NDNs took whole currants and pounded them into a pulp and mixed that in as well. The acid lowered shelf life to maybe a year or two. The real stuff with the currants- had just about everything you need, the perfect food.
Since a lot of this is a bonding experience- why not just do it the traditional way?
You can also spend $1.50 for 5 lbs or corn meal and boil that for dinner. Also pc, a lot easier to obtain, and probably more tasty to most folk's thinking.

 

[Claude Mathis]

First you make beef jerky. This should be "real" jerky- just dry- no salt, no flavorings, etc. Now pound it into shreds. The NDNs cut meat strips "with the grain" so their pounded up bits were fibers. Today folks cut meat across the grain so shorter fibers. I do it the traditional way. Of course the original was under a fire so it had a nice smokey flavor.
On the fat, the NDNs used rendered fat and marrow fat. If you are a dude and like life nice- get that marrow fat and melt it and mix in the shredded jerky.
That kind of pemmican ought to last for years. I think there was some 80 years old in Wyoming a guy nibbled on and said it was still good.
The NDNs took whole currants and pounded them into a pulp and mixed that in as well. The acid lowered shelf life to maybe a year or two. The real stuff with the currants- had just about everything you need, the perfect food.

It's my opinion that this is the most accurate traditional method you will find.

 

[coloradoclyde]

If you want to get a "well rounded" idea of what people ate, I suggest reading......
FOOD IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY TIDEWATER VIRGINIA:
A METHOD FOR STUDYING HISTORICAL CUISINES
by
Maryellen Spencer
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
in
Human Nutrition and Foods
http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitst...655.V856_1982.S772.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y