Product review: Hunted and Gathered products

Jerky has got to be the best snack ever. While often an image of an American cowboy or truck driver comes to mind, it’s been around for longer than people think, and not only in North America. My ancestors have been eating it forever (in Quechua it’s called charqui and it’s often made of alpaca).

What makes jerky so good?

• It’s cured and dried, so it keeps forever.
• It’s high in protein, which apart from replenishing your body’s needs, keeps you satisfied much longer than carbs.
• It’s light in weight, making it perfect for hiking, cycling, etc.
• It’s tasty.

Sadly it’s hard to find commercial jerky that is not full of crap (gluten, fifteen kinds of sugar, etc.), not to mention the unknown quality of the meat (most likely, grain-fed and full of hormones). I used to get organic grass-fed jerky from a farmer at the Eveleigh Markets but he has vanished. I was contemplating the possibility of making my own, when I came across Hunted and Gathered products.

Paleo jerky is made of 100% free-range grass-fed Australian beef, and has high bio-available proteins, and live enzymes. It’s free of gluten, wheat, preservatives, MSG, and hormones. The ingredients list is short and sweet: beef, salt, herbs and spices, vinegar, and organic brown sugar. Yes, sugar is not Paleo from a purist point of view but it has less than 1% per serving. Sounds good to me. Click here for the nutritional information..

The jerky was great: tasty, with the right crunchy-to-chewy ratio. I’ll be carrying a few bags on my upcoming trip to Melbourne. A couple of suggestions to the manufacturers: it would be good to know exactly which herbs and spices they use for people with autoimmune conditions and/or food allergies. Also, a resealable bag would be fantastic.

While on the Hunted and Gathered website I saw something that sparked my curiosity: Paleo Chocolate. Isn’t that any chocolate that has over 70% cacao?, I thought. I had to find out. This 45-gram square bar is organic, raw, and gluten-free. It contains organic cacao solids (60% min), organic virgin cacao butter, organic dark agave nectar, organic cacao powder, organic coconut oil, organic carob, organic cinnamon, and Himalayan crystal salt. Click here for the nutritional information.

Compared to other dark chocolate bars, this one is more on the soft side. It tried it at room temperature, out of the fridge and out of the freezer, which was my favourite option. As I write this I realise I haven’t tried it melted yet. I can imagine it would make a great ganache or dipping sauce for fruit. The chocolate is good, the sweetness is perfect, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the carob flavour.

Hunted and Gathered
huntedandgathered.com.au

Items were purchased with a generous discount courtesy of Hunted and Gathered.

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