Cured meats were born of necessity.
Drying meat has long been practiced in this region and throughout the world as a method of meat preservation. Communities indigenous to Pennsylvania dried meats and made jerky from the animals that they hunted.
A mix of dried meats, berries, seeds and fat called Pemmican was a common variation. Pemmican was a nutritious mix that enabled many to thrive through harsh winters and rough treks through the mountains. While it's no longer commonly enjoyed, jerky made from venison, beef or even turkey remains a common snack throughout parts of Pennsylvania and beyond. In fact, jerky was listed as one of the hot food trends at The Specialty Foods Fancy Food Show in New York City in 2019.
Charcuterie traditions in the region evolved over time with the increasing and varied migration to the area often facilitated by the region's industrialization. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and today, migration from Europe, Asia, and Central and South America has influenced these practices. The Dutch were the first large group of migrants to arrive in Pennsylvania, followed by the Swedish, Finnish, British, Germans, and Scots Irish. These western European groups were followed by Italians and Eastern Europeans around the end of the 19th century. By the early 20th century, Pennsylvania was home to the second-largest Italian population in the country and had more Polish, Slovak, Croatian, Slovenian and Ukrainian residents than any other state. Nearly half of all Ukrainian migrants to the country came to Pennsylvania during this time. Pittsburgh was the Ukrainian center of the region, and today still has the fourth largest Ukrainian population in the US. Today, the largest migrant populations to Pennsylvania are arriving from India, China, and more relevantly to this trail, Mexico.
Many early migrants to Pennsylvania settled in Philadelphia, while others moved to smaller towns and rural areas to work on the railroads, in coal mines, and in the lumber industry. For those near the port of Philadelphia, imported meats from their respective homelands were often available, while others in more remote towns and rural communities tried to make their own with whatever products were available and affordable, often smoking them in their backyards and storing them in cool, underground root cellars.
For example, in rural areas throughout the 1800s, most farmers had smokehouses in their backyards in addition to smoking areas or bacon shelves in their farmhouse chimneys. Late fall and early winter was the time for hog slaughtering, because the cold weather allowed farm families to preserve meat safely. A brine of salt, vinegar and spices was often used—very similar to what is used today. The fat from the animal was rendered into soap and saved for frying and baking. After smoking, in order to keep the meat safe from bugs and vermin, they were rubbed with pepper to keep bats roosting in the chimneys from having a nibble or were covered with herbs or muslin bags to keep skipping maggots (called hoppers) from landing on them. Recipes and curing methods were adapted based on the temperature and the types of cures available.
