Pemmican

Ingredients and Traditional Preparation

Traditional pemmican is made from whatever lean game meat was available, including bison, deer, elk, moose, or fish. The meat is cut into thin slices and dried thoroughly, either over a slow fire or in the sun, until it becomes hard and brittle. This dried meat, known in Cree as pânsâwân, is then pounded into a fine powder or small pieces using stones or flails. The pounded meat is mixed with an approximately equal weight of rendered animal fat, typically suet turned into tallow. In some regional and ceremonial variations, dried and powdered berries such as saskatoons, blueberries, or cranberries are added to the mixture. The Lakota and Dakota nations also make a version called corn wasná, which uses toasted cornmeal instead of dried meat, mixed with fat, fruit, and sugar.

The final mixture is packed into rawhide bags, where it cools and hardens into dense, solid cakes. A standard large bag of bison pemmican used in the fur trade weighed about 90 pounds (41 kg) and was called a taureau by the Métis. Different grades existed, such as taureaux fins (mixed with udder fat), taureaux grand (with bone marrow), and taureaux à grains (with berries). It generally took the meat of one bison to fill a single taureau. Properly prepared and stored in a cool, dry place, pemmican has an exceptionally long shelf life, often lasting for years or even decades without spoiling. Modern preparation may use a food processor to grind the dried meat and berries, and the mixture can be set in molds like muffin tins before storage in glass jars or tin boxes.

Historical Significance in Canada

Pemmican was integral to the expansion of the North American fur trade, providing a compact, high-calorie food source for voyageurs who travelled vast distances by canoe. These travellers had limited time to hunt or gather during the short ice-free season, making portable, non-perishable provisions essential. A north canoe with six men and 25 standard packs required about four packs of food per 500 miles. The pemmican trade became a major economic driver on the Prairies, particularly for the Métis people of the Red River region. Métis hunters would travel onto the plains in Red River carts, slaughter bison, convert it into pemmican, and transport it north to trade at fur company posts like Fort Alexander, Cumberland House, Île-à-la-Crosse, Fort Garry, Norway House, and Edmonton House.

This trade was so vital to the Métis economy and identity that it directly led to the Pemmican War of 1814. That year, Red River Colony governor Miles Macdonell issued the Pemmican Proclamation, which attempted to forbid the export of pemmican from the colony to ensure food for the settlers. The proclamation was fiercely resisted by the Métis and North West Company, leading to armed conflict and highlighting pemmican's central role in the power dynamics of early western Canada. For people on the edge of the prairie, the pemmican trade was as important a source of trade goods as the beaver trade was for Indigenous peoples farther north. The trade is considered a key factor in the emergence of the distinct Métis society and culture.

Use by Explorers and the Military

Beyond the fur trade, pemmican became the food of choice for numerous polar and exploratory expeditions due to its concentrated energy and stability. Explorer Alexander Mackenzie relied on it during his 1793 journey from the Canadas to the Pacific. Notable Arctic and Antarctic explorers including Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, Roald Amundsen, Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott, and Fridtjof Nansen all included pemmican in their sledging rations. Peary used it on all three of his expeditions from 1886 to 1909, for both his men and his dogs, and considered it an absolute necessity for polar travel. In his 1917 book, he wrote that without it a sledge-party could not compact its supplies within a limit of weight to make a serious polar journey successful.

The military also adopted pemmican as an emergency ration. During the Second Boer War (1899 to 1902), British soldiers carried an iron ration of four ounces of pemmican and four ounces of chocolate and sugar, to be used only as a last resort when ordered by a commanding officer. This ration was packed in small soldered tins fastened inside the soldiers' belts. American adventurer and scout Frederick Russell Burnham required his scouts in South Africa to carry it. Pemmican, likely in the form of condensed meat bars, was used by French troops fighting in Morocco in the 1920s and was taken by aviator Amelia Earhart on her 1928 transatlantic flight. A 1969 U.S. military study, 'Arctic Survival Rations, III. The Evaluation of Pemmican Under Winter Field Conditions', found it effective in staving off starvation during short-term calorie deprivation, with subjects managing on 1000 calories worth during testing.

Archaeology and Ancient Origins

The origins of pemmican are ancient, predating European contact by millennia. Since rendered bone grease is an essential ingredient, archaeologists often use evidence of its manufacture, such as bone fragments and boiling pits, as an indicator of pemmican production. Widespread archaeological evidence for bone grease production exists on the Great Plains by around AD 1, though the practice likely developed much earlier. Some researchers suggest the knowledge of making such concentrated food may have crossed the Bering Strait four to six thousand years ago. Calcified bone fragments from Paleo-Indian times do not offer clear evidence due to a lack of associated boiling pits, but the technique is considered to have deep roots.

Recent archaeological work continues to uncover the scale of traditional pemmican production. Researchers have excavated a pemmican production site used by ancestors of the Blackfoot people near a bison hunting area in north-central Montana known as Kutoyis. The site revealed fire pits, tools, and processing bones, indicating it was a significant operation for large-scale preparation. The first written European account of a food resembling pemmican comes from Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1541, who described Indigenous groups in the Texas Panhandle sun-drying and mincing bison meat and mixing it with fat. The first written English usage of the word is attributed to James Isham in 1743, who wrote of 'pimmegan' as a mixture of finely pounded dried meat, fat and cranberries.

Serving Methods and Nutritional Role

Pemmican is versatile and can be consumed in several ways, as recorded historically by figures like North-West Mounted Police Sergeant Major Sam Steele in 1874. It can be eaten raw, though this was not to everyone's taste. More commonly, it was incorporated into cooked dishes. One popular method was to make a stew called rubaboo, by boiling pemmican with water, flour, and any available vegetables like wild onions or preserved potatoes. Another method was to fry it in a pan, sometimes with onions and potatoes, a dish known in the West as a rechaud. These preparation methods helped to rehydrate the dense food and make it more palatable, especially during long, cold expeditions.

The ability to transform a hard, stored cake into a hot meal was a key advantage for sustaining energy in harsh conditions. For dogs on polar expeditions, a specific type called Bovril pemmican or dog pemmican was made, consisting of two-thirds protein and one-third fat by volume. It was later ascertained that although dogs survived on it, this was too high in protein to be a truly nutritious and healthy long-term diet for them. Members of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 to 1916 Antarctic expedition resorted to eating this dog pemmican when stranded on ice. A 1945 scientific study of emergency rations did criticize the sole use of pemmican as a survival food due to its low levels of certain vitamins, but its high fat and protein content made it highly effective for providing dense calories.

Contemporary Revival and Uses

Pemmican continues to be made today within many Indigenous communities across North America for personal sustenance, communal gatherings, and ceremonial purposes. Contemporary recipes often honour traditional methods while sometimes incorporating introduced ingredients like beef. There are also Indigenous-owned companies that produce pemmican or foods based on traditional recipes for commercial distribution, helping to share this cultural food with a wider audience. The food maintains its status as a meaningful element of cultural heritage and identity.

Among modern outdoors enthusiasts, hunters, and survivalists, pemmican is experiencing a revival as the ultimate natural, long-lasting trail food. Many appreciate its high energy density and the ability to make it from their own wild game, using meats like venison or elk and fats like bear fat, duck fat, or beef suet. The term pemmican is also used in marketing by some commercial protein bar producers, though these products often differ significantly from the traditional recipe. For those seeking an authentic experience, making pemmican at home using dried wild game, rendered fat, and dried berries remains a rewarding way to connect with this enduring piece of North American heritage. It serves as a practical use for older cuts of meat and provides a reliable, nutrient-dense food for hiking, hunting trips, or emergency supplies.

Cultural and Linguistic Context

The word pemmican is derived from the Cree word pimîhkân, which itself comes from pimî, meaning 'fat' or 'grease'. In the Lakota and Dakota languages, the equivalent food is known as wasná, a word that originally meant 'grease derived from marrow bones'. The linguistic roots highlight the central role of animal fat in the recipe. The traditional Cree term for the thin, brittle dried meat used as the base is pânsâwân, colloquially known in North American English as dry meat. Approximately five pounds of fresh meat are needed to produce one pound of this dried meat suitable for pemmican.

These terms and the variations in recipes reflect the diverse Indigenous cultures that developed and relied on this food across the continent. The Métis, a distinct people of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry, developed their own terminology within the pemmican trade, using French words like taureau for a large bag of the product. This blending of languages mirrors the blending of cultures and economic systems that pemmican facilitated. The food's name and preparation methods are thus embedded in the history and languages of the First Peoples, signifying its deep cultural importance beyond mere sustenance.

Questions about Pemmican

What is pemmican made of?

Traditional pemmican is made from three core ingredients: dried lean meat, rendered animal fat (tallow), and sometimes dried berries. The meat was historically from large game like bison, deer, elk, or moose, but fish and smaller game were also used. The meat is dried until brittle, pounded into a powder, and mixed with an approximately equal amount of melted fat. Berries like saskatoons, blueberries, or cranberries can be added for flavour and nutrition, particularly in ceremonial versions. Some variations, like Lakota corn wasná, use toasted cornmeal instead of meat.

Why was pemmican so important to the fur trade?

Pemmican was crucial because it provided voyageurs with a compact, non-perishable, and high-calorie food source for long canoe journeys. These travellers had a short season when waterways were ice-free and no time to hunt or forage. A standard north canoe with six men and 25 packs required about four 90-pound packs of food per 500 miles. Pemmican, which could last for years, met this need perfectly. Its trade also became a major economic activity for the Métis people, who produced it on the plains and supplied the northern fur posts, leading to significant historical events like the Pemmican War of 1814.

How did explorers use pemmican?

Arctic and Antarctic explorers relied heavily on pemmican for its concentrated energy and long shelf life in extreme conditions. Figures like Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Ernest Shackleton packed it for their sledging parties. It could be eaten raw, fried, or boiled into a stew. Explorer Robert Peary called it an absolute necessity for polar travel, stating that without it, a party could not compact supplies sufficiently for a successful journey. British expeditions also fed a specific 'dog pemmican' to their sled dogs, though it was later found to be too high in protein for optimal canine health over long periods.

Is pemmican still made today?

Yes, pemmican is still prepared today. It remains an important food in many Indigenous communities across North America for personal, communal, and ceremonial use. Some contemporary recipes may use modern ingredients like beef, while others adhere strictly to traditional methods. There are also Indigenous-owned companies that produce pemmican commercially. Additionally, the food has seen a revival among modern hunters, survivalists, and outdoors enthusiasts who value it as a natural, long-lasting trail food made from wild game, often using home dehydrators and food processors in its preparation.

What is the difference between pemmican and jerky?

The main difference is composition and preservation. Jerky is simply lean meat that has been sliced and dried, often with salt and spices. Pemmican is a more complex product made by taking dried meat (which could be jerky), pounding it into a powder, and then mixing it with rendered fat. The addition of fat makes pemmican far more calorie-dense and gives it a much longer shelf life, measured in years rather than months. Pemmican is also often combined with dried berries, creating a more complete nutritional profile suited for sustained energy in demanding situations like long expeditions.

How do you eat pemmican?

Pemmican can be consumed in several ways. It can be eaten raw, cut or broken into pieces. Historically, it was more commonly prepared as part of a dish. It could be boiled with water and thickeners like flour to make a stew called rubaboo, often with added vegetables like wild onions or potatoes. Another method was to fry it in a pan, known as a rechaud, sometimes with onions or potatoes. These cooking methods helped to rehydrate the dense food and make a more substantial, hot meal, which was especially valued during cold-weather expeditions by fur traders and explorers.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Novello Desserts desk. Last updated 2026-10-20.