a small pressed cake of shredded dried meat, pounded into paste with fat and berries or dried fruits, used originally by Native Americans and now chiefly for emergency rations
Word origin
C19: from Cree pimikân, from pimii fat, grease
pemmican in American English
(ˈpɛmɪkən)
noun
1.
dried lean meat, pounded into a paste with fat and preserved in the form of pressed cakes
2.
dried beef, suet, dried fruit, etc., prepared as a concentrated high-energy food, used for emergency rations
Word origin
Cree pimihkaan < pimihkeew, makes pemmican, makes grease < pimiy, grease