Chapters 7.1

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Moose superior.jpg

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Morgan,B. (2022) Mammals. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/

Product introduction

Jerky is a form of dried meat, in this case being made of moose. Jerky, being dried meat, has a very long shelf life because of the lack of water content. There are different types of jerkies, and their associated method of production, based on the location and era. Moose being one of the staples within many Indigenous communities of Canada and the United States, is the reason why it is used in the making for jerky (Skinner et al, 2020). Jerky is lightweight and a source of easily packaged protein, making it a key food source during the winter months or on long journeys within Indigenous communities (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021). Jerky today is commonly made from beef and the need for dried meat is not as substantial today with the popularization of modern storage items such as the grocery store and refrigerators.

Types of jerky

Within the Indigenous communities there are a variety of different types of Jerky’s, one of the most popularized being Pemmican. Pemmican is a more technical jerky that is made with ground meat, berries and fat (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021). Although the meat that was primarily used was bison, moose was a common substitute (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021 ). Simple Jerky’s consisted of less processing and ingredients In present times Jerky is not as much of a necessity as a treat or cheat food being high in many additives.

Moose biology

Moose being the largest of the deer family (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021) allows for the adults to grow to a height greater than two meters (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021) weighing upwards of 1100 pounds (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021). Moose are also known by their scientific name of Alces alces. Moose are referred to as Bulls if they are male, Cows if they are female, and calves if they are less than a year old. Differences in appearances are based on two things; age and sex. Bulls are larger than cows when fully grown and their most defining feature is the large set of antlers that are grown each year. Bulls are solitary animals and live their lives alone except for the fall. Cows are generally slightly smaller than bulls, do not have antlers and are commonly found with their calves. Cows generally give birth to a single calf but can sometimes have twins, the calves generally stay with the cow until about a year old. Moose are herbivores eating mainly grass, aquatic plants and twigs. Known as spectacular swimmers, their main habitat or where they are most commonly found is on the borders of marshes, lakes, and rivers ( Traditional Animal Foods, 2021). Moose typically have a home range of 13.9 kilometres for cows and 25.9 kilometres for bulls (Göran Cederlund, Håkan Sand, 1994)

Methods

Historically, jerky has been made by smoking or drying thin slices of meat out over a fire. The Chalkyitsik Kutchin of Alaska would cut thin slivers of the meat and hang to dry in a drying rack with a smudge, the smudge would allow for the drying process to take less time as well as repel bugs (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021). The season can affect the way that the jerky is made or preserved. In the winter the meat can be frozen in small strips very quickly allowing for the preservation and drying to occur at a later date. In the summer the Sahtu use the sun drying method (Traditional Animal Foods, 2021).

These methods are still used within some indigenous communities. Smoking meat to make jerky is still a common practice used by outdoor enthusiasts and hunters. An example of a recipe that is used for Jerky today is:

1)First start by taking a cut of meat, usually a shoulder or hind roast, cut this into small strips. Depending on how you prefer your jerky, slice with muscle fibres to have a chewier jerky and slice against muscle fibres to have a jerky that falls apart easier.

2)Make your marinade, ½ cup of soy sauce, 1/8 cup BBQ sauce, 1/8 cup mustard, 1/8 lemon juice, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 dashes Worchester sauce, 2 dashes hot sauce, 2 dashes onion powder, and 2 dashes of steak spice. Add all ingredients into a plastic bag and mix ingredients well. After mixing, add the meat to the bag. If the marinade does not cover all the meat fill bag with water and mix well again. This will weaken the flavour a bit but not noticeable.

3)Leave the marinade in a refrigerator overnight. The longer left to marinade the stronger the taste will be.

4)Draining liquid from bag remove meat from the bag while drying with paper towel.

5)Once dried to the point where there is minimal amount of liquid dropping off them. Take skewers, making sure the meat doesn’t touch each other pierce each slice at the top of the cut letting the rest of the meat hang free.

6)Place a tray in your oven to catch dropping as the meat cooks.

7)Place skewers across oven rack allowing for the hanging of the meat over the tray. Cook at a temperature of 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Until meat is cook through and completely dry to touch.

Culture

Moose being one of the common staples in Indigenous communities across all of Canada and the U.S., there are many different beliefs and uses for Moose. Indigenous communities across Canada have different beliefs when regarding the moose hunt. These consist of different rituals that would be done before or during the hunt in order to have a successful hunt. The Kootenay would perform religious ceremonies with singing, dancing, and chanting to ensure a successful hunt (“Traditional Animal Foods”, 2021) Other rituals and cultural beliefs included the eating or touching of some parts of the animals would give bad luck or even physical sickness to the individual who participated. For example, the Ahtna believed that for three days after the moose was slaughtered that the spirit was still connected to the skin and carcass. They believed that if kids touched the moose, then the kids would become very ill (“Traditional Animal Foods”, 2021).

Benefits

Benefits from the use of moose jerky can be seen in different circumstances. Overall moose jerky is healthier than the beef jerky we see today. Moose as well as other types of wild game are leaner meats. Moose jerky is not commercially created, for reasons we will discuss in the limitations section. But because of this, we can see that there is significantly less amounts of additives when compared to beef jerky that can be purchased in the store today.

Limitations

There are a large number of limitations that are realized when looking at the future use of moose jerky:

1)The health risk associated with eating wild game. Specific cuts of moose meat can be high in cadmium (Ratelle, Skinner et al, 2020).

2)The transition of diseases within Canada and the U.S. associated with the transportation of wild game, now that there have been cases of Chronic Wasting Disease found in Moose (Baeton, 2007). This disease affects the brain and nervous systems in the deer family (Baeton, 2007).

3)Very large home range needed for these large animals.Bull need an average of 25.9 kilometers squared and females need an average of 13.7 kilometers squared (Göran Cederlund, Håkan Sand, 1994).

References

1.Laurie A. Baeton, et al (2007). A natural Case of Chronic Wasting disease in free-ranging moose (Alces alces shirasi). Journal of Wildlife Disease.https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-43.2.309

2.Mylene Ratelle, Kelly Skinner, et al (2020). Food frequency questionnaire assessing traditional food consumption in Dene/Metis communities, Northwest Territories, Canada. International Journal of Circumpolar health, https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2020.1760071

3.Robin A. Bernhoft (2013). Cadmium Toxicity and Treatment, The Scientific World Journal, https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/394652