Part of the series: “Summer Traditions Reimagined: From Ancestral Roots to Trending Tables”

Key Takeaways

Pemmican is a high-energy Indigenous food made from dried meat, rendered fat, and berries, traditionally prepared for survival, travel, and storage.
It was widely used by Plains Nations and later adopted by fur traders during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Its cultural role remains strong in Indigenous communities, with a resurgence of interest tied to food sovereignty and decolonized diets.
Modern versions of pemmican include wild game bars, vegan alternatives, and preserved bites that respect traditional techniques.
Pemmican offers insight into sustainable, low-waste, nutrient-dense eating practices rooted in land-based knowledge.

The Original Superfood

Long before protein bars or trail mixes filled store shelves, Indigenous peoples across North America created a food that was rich in calories, nutrients, and meaning: pemmican.

Crafted as a portable, long-lasting source of energy, pemmican was traditionally made by mixing dried meat with rendered animal fat and crushed berries. It sustained communities during long winters, travel, and times of scarcity. For many Plains Nations, it was more than food—it was essential for survival, mobility, and collective well-being.

The word pemmican comes from the Cree term pimîhkân, derived from pimî (fat or grease). It reflects not just the ingredients, but the knowledge systems that made such a food possible.

Ingredients That Tell a Story

Traditional pemmican was made from ingredients available through seasonal hunting and foraging. The core components included:

Dried meat — often bison, elk, deer, or moose — ground or pounded into small pieces
Rendered animal fat, sometimes clarified or filtered for shelf stability
Dried berries such as saskatoon, chokecherries, cranberries, or blueberries
In some regions, additions like dried roots, wild herbs, or fish were included

The preparation was labour-intensive and highly skilled. Meat was dried on racks or over low smoke, fat was rendered slowly, and berries were gathered and dried at their peak. Once combined, the mixture could be stored in rawhide bags or birch containers and would last for months—sometimes years.

Mobility Food, Memory Food

Because of its portability and shelf life, pemmican became a staple food for travellers, hunters, and fur traders. During the height of the fur trade, both the Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company relied heavily on pemmican to supply remote outposts and long canoe expeditions.

But its origins and primary use were Indigenous. It was a food of knowledge, stewardship, and planning. Families made large batches during the summer and fall to sustain them through winter. Pemmican fed generations—not just physically, but culturally.

Its preparation was often communal. Knowledge was passed down through practice—how to dry meat without scorching, how to choose the best berries, how to measure fat without tools, and how to respect the land that provided it all.

A Resurgence Rooted in Knowledge

In recent years, pemmican has been reclaimed and revived as part of broader efforts to restore Indigenous food sovereignty. Chefs, home cooks, knowledge-keepers, and youth programs are all revisiting the technique—not just to preserve food, but to reconnect with ancestral ways of living and eating.

Pemmican has appeared in Indigenous food workshops, outdoor education programs, and cultural revitalization efforts across Canada and the U.S. It is sometimes used to teach about sustainability, interdependence, and respect for natural cycles.

While pemmican was historically adapted by European fur traders, its return today centres Indigenous teachings and protocols. Some chefs and food educators emphasize learning directly from Elders and community members to honour that lineage.

New Twists on an Old Tradition

Modern interpretations of pemmican are emerging—not to replace the traditional form, but to work alongside it. Some adaptations include:

Game meat bars made with bison, maple fat, and dried blueberries
Vegan versions using mushrooms, nuts, and coconut oil
Pemmican bites flavoured with smoked sea salt or wild mint
Smoked fish pemmican using salmon or trout and juniper
Trail-friendly versions with added seeds, herbs, or natural sweeteners

These adaptations respect the original purpose: to nourish, travel well, and honour seasonal abundance. Some are made for outdoor lifestyles, others for teaching moments, and some as culinary art.

Why It Matters Today

Pemmican offers a window into a food system that was:

Sustainable
Local
Seasonal
Nutrient-dense
Zero-waste

It represents a kind of food intelligence that predates refrigeration and global supply chains. It used every part of the animal and respected the effort it took to secure food from the land.

In today’s context—where food insecurity, climate change, and health crises intersect—pemmican’s legacy has much to teach. It is a food that balances simplicity with complexity, portability with nourishment, and survival with cultural strength.

A Summer Food After All

While pemmican is often associated with winter storage, its preparation traditionally began in summer. After the spring thaw, communities would:

Hunt and dry meat
Render fat from seasonal harvests
Gather wild berries
Dry ingredients outdoors using sunlight or smoke
Store the finished product for use in colder months or long journeys

Summer is still the perfect time to learn about pemmican—whether through foraging, drying berries, or exploring the meaning behind the process.

For a deeper dive into seasonal gathering and first fruits, see our next article: First Fruits and Summer Bounty.

Conclusion: Energy with Ancestry

Pemmican isn’t just a historical artifact. It’s a living food, a form of cultural continuity, and a practice that invites us to rethink what nourishment means.

Its return today—whether in kitchens, classrooms, or campfires—is not a trend. It’s part of a deeper remembering. In its simplest form, pemmican is meat, fat, and berries. In its full form, it is a food that holds memory, medicine, and the wisdom of the land.