Meat that has been cut into strips, seasoned, and dried as a method of preservation and snack food.
From Spanish 'charque' (dried meat), borrowed from Quechua origins when Spanish conquistadors encountered this Native South American preservation technique.
Beef jerky is essentially the original energy bar—indigenous peoples were making it long before modern snacking, and the fact that it lasts for weeks without refrigeration made it perfect for long journeys and hunts.
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