John Myers
The drying of meat, but also of other foods, is one of the oldest preservation methods of all. Drying removes water from the meat so that the residual moisture drops to 8 to 20 percent. Microorganisms cannot multiply without sufficient water and therefore cannot decompose the meat. The residual moisture ultimately determines the shelf life, which can be several years without refrigeration.
Most dried meat is made from red meat from mammals, such as beef, pork, sheep, game or horse. Rarely, the meat of poultry and even fish are also dried. The drying process takes place either in one piece, such as with Bündnerfleisch, or the meat is dried in thin strips, such as with American beef jerky. The meat is often cured beforehand or marinated in order to give it the desired aroma.
Due to dehydration, dried meat loses about 50 percent of its weight on average. Flavors and many nutrients are then highly concentrated. This gives the meat an intense flavor. Depending on the production method, however, some nutrients can also be lost, such as heat-sensitive vitamin C. Important to know: Compared to the starting product, the protein content per 100 grams is also significantly higher. Thus, dried meat is particularly suitable as an energy supplier for sporting activities.
Meat drying for preservation is common worldwide. The preservation method has produced numerous regional specialties:
- Bakkwa (China): made from pork, rarely poultry, beef
- Beef Jerky (USA): made from beef, but also game, poultry, bison
- Biltong (South Africa): made from beef, but also poultry, game, ostrich meat
- Borts (Mongolia): Yak, beef
- Bündnerfleisch (Switzerland): beef
- Carne seca: (Mexico): Beef
- Carne-de-Sol (Brazil, Portugal): beef, goat
- Charqui (South America): depending on the region, made from beef, llama, sheep, goat, pig, horse, game
- Guanciale (Italy): Pig
- Pastirma (Turkey): Beef
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