June 12th - National Jerky Day

Today is National Jerky Day. Jerky is dehydrated meat, plain and simple. The word "jerky" actually comes from the Quechua word "ch'arki" that means exactly what "jerky" means now: meat that has been dried out with salt. If you’re not familiar with the word Quechua, it is a South American Culture and Language originating from the area we now call Peru. Unlike modern jerky where beef is the default meat, traditional Ch'arki is made from alpaca or llama. The big thing with modern jerky is that it's probably the easiest way to get some less common varieties of meat if you live in the United States. Sold as "exotic jerky," it does make a lot of sense as a way to try a lot of different types of meat without knowing someone who can prepare or provide all of them. So if you want to see what kangaroo, emu, snake and or alligators taste like, you have a good chance with the dried with salt method.