Kuivaliha (lit. "dry meat"), also known as kapaliha, is salted and dried meat, often
reindeer
Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...
meat.
It is a traditional food and a delicacy of Northern Finland, prepared at springtime. Like
jerky
Jerky is lean trimmed meat cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. The word "jerky" derive ...
, of which kuivaliha is a variant of, its origins lie in the need for
food preservation. Kuivaliha is a very useful snack when camping, etc., for its light weight and good nutrition values. It is also used in soup ("kuivalihakeitto").
Preparation
Kuivaliha is prepared outdoors by hanging salted strips of meat in the open air, facing south (for sunshine). Netting is often used to keep birds and other animals away. The drying process takes approximately three weeks.
Preparation of kuivaliha is done in March and April, based on specific weather conditions in the Finnish springtime: Ambient temperature above freezing during the day, below-freezing temperatures at night (which prevents insects from contaminating the meat along speeding up the drying process), a dry wind, and sunlight. If the weather is too warm, the meat will rot and if it is too cold, the meat will suffer from "freezer burn". Kuivaliha cannot be prepared in the traditional fashion in other seasons.
See also
*
Dried meat
Dried meat is a feature of many cuisines around the world. Examples include:
*Kulen Slanina Pečenica
*Aliya, sun-dried meat from Kenya
* Bakkwa or rougan, Chinese salty-sweet dried meat sheets.
* Biltong, a cured meat that originated in Sout ...
*
Jerky
Jerky is lean trimmed meat cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. The word "jerky" derive ...
*
List of dried foods
This is a list of dried foods. Food drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been practiced worldwide since ancient times to preserve food. Where or when d ...
Dried meat
Finnish cuisine
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