When was beef jerky invented?

Answer 1

Beef jerky is thought to have originated in South America during the 1800s. The Quechua tribe, who were ancestors of the ancient Inca empire, produced a meat similar to beef jerky called ch'arki, or charqui. It was made by adding salt to strips of muscle tissue from game animals such as deer, buffalo, and elk, and allowing them to dry in the sun or over fires for extended periods of time. This method of preparation enabled the people to preserve meats during times when it was readily available and eat it when food was scarce. When the Spanish encountered this method of meat preservation, they adopted it and made it available to the rest of the world. It became a staple foodstuff for American cowboys and pioneers. Early explorers built smoke huts and hung cuts of meat over a fire to smoke cure the meat. True jerky was made when the meat was first flavored and then cured. Over the years, people discovered that the meat could be made more palatable by the addition of various spices.

Answer 2

Meat dried by various methods in order to make it last without going bad has been around since long before recorded history.

Raw meat of all kinds would have been dried to keep it edible for longer periods before people learned to cook food.

Answer 3

Beef jerky or some form of dried meat has been around for centuries. Before the new food preservations methods drying meat was one of the few means to keep meat. Columbus had dried beef on his ships, and centuries before it was eaten by other cultures and people.

Answer 4

Indians invented beef jerky.

Answer 5

1982