This is just for fun.
One evening, I decided I wanted to see if I could name animals that could be made into jerky for each letter of the alphabet. I did about 80% quickly. Then I started searching. You’ll notice that some of the animals are not found in North America, but this is an International site.
You can find jerky in various forms in many countries around the world.
So, here goes my best list…
If you have an animal that I missed that you could use the meat to make jerky, then send the name to me. I’ll even give you credit unless you want to remain anonymous.
A. Antelope • Alligator • Alpaca
B. Beef • Bison • Buffalo • Boar
C. Chicken • Crocodile
D. Deer • Duck
E. Elk • Emu
F. Fowl • Fish – quite a variety. See the pages on making fish jerky.
G. Goat • Goose
H. Horse • Hare • Halibut
I. Iguana • Irish Elk
J. Junglefowl • Jackrabbit • and J is for Jerky!
K. Kangaroo
L. Llama • Lamb
M. Moose • Mule Deer • Mutton
N. Nyala
O. Ostrich
P. Pork/Pig • Pronghorn • Pheasant
Q. Quail (I wasn’t sure about this one)
R. Rabbit • Rattlesnake
S. Salmon • Sheep • Squid
T. Turkey • Trout • Tuna
U. Ugandan Kob • Urial
V. Venison
W. Water Buffalo • Wildebeest • Whitetail Deer • Wild Boar
X. X marks the spot – the no animal spot.
Y. Yak
Z. Zebra • Zebu
So, as you can see, I pushed Q a little, although I’ve eaten quail, and quail eggs are fairly common in Brazil. Then X marks the spot of the only letter I couldn’t find an animal.
I found many animals for each letter I looked up, but not all could be made into jerky.
On the About Page, I told the story of when I used to own a jerky store with over 170 varieties of jerky, and we had many of the animals listed above. I knew about many jerky meats and styles from around the world that we were trying to bring in, like kangaroo from Australia. You can read the full story on that page.
Animal Facts
Here are some interesting facts about some of the uncommon animals listed above.
Horses are not eaten in the United States or Canada, at least by humans. But I left this one on the list as in some other countries, they do eat horsemeat. The same thing goes for donkeys and zebras.
Iguanas are found in North, Central, and South America. They are a part of the Iguanidae family. I missed a meal of iguana once when in Belize. The team I was with said the roasted iguana was delicious.
Junglefowl are found in Asia. They are part of the Phasianidae family.
Nyala is a spiral-horned antelope native to southern Africa. It’s part of the Bovidae family.
Rattlesnake is an item we used to sell in cans. We sold a lot of it, too! It’s probably not the first meat you think of making into jerky, but it is an option for the adventurous palette. You can buy all-natural rattlesnake meat.
Urial is a part of the Bovidae family. You can find them in Asia and Eurasia.
The Ugandan Kob is similar to an antelope and an impala, yet found in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s part of the Bovidae family.
Wildebeest are found in Africa and are also members of the Bovidae family. They are used in Southern Africa to make Biltong, their version of jerky. It is a delicacy and an important food item there.
There you have it, my jerky-loving friends.
Here is a website you can learn about all kinds of animals from around the world.
A-Z-Animals.com https://a-z-animals.com/animals/
More Articles of Interest
Tasty Venison – Game meat at its finest.
What is Jerky Homemade? – What you’ll find on this site and how to best manage it.
The Art and Benefits of Crafting Homemade Jerky – Check out this interesting article…
Ingredients for Jerky – How does each ingredient affect the meat you are drying?