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(pĕm`ĭkən), a travel food of the Native North American. Slices of lean venison or buffalo meat were sun dried, pounded to a paste, and packed with melted fat in rawhide bags. Dried currants or wild berries were sometimes included in the paste. Pacific coast Native Americans used a similar fish compound.



a concentrated food consisting of briquettes made from venison or buffalo meat that has been dried and ground into powder and mixed with fat and the juice of sour berries. Pemmican originated with Indians from the northern part of North America, who stored it in rawhide bags. Given its small size and light weight, pemmican was noted for its easy assimilability and high nutritional value. The briquettes were particularly convenient for long journeys.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, venison or beef pemmican has been produced by the food industries of Canada and the United States for supplying polar expeditions. Various other food concentrates are replacing pemmican.