jerky

thumb|upright=1.35|Jerky thumb|upright=1.35|Orange-marinated beef jerky thumb|Meat drying to make jerky. Gandhola Monastery, [[Lahaul, India]]

Jerky is lean trimmed meat strips which are dehydrated to prevent spoilage and seasoned to varying degrees. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent microbial growth through osmosis. The word "jerky" derives from the Quechua word ''ch'arki'' which means "dried, salted meat".