Note: For a more current taste review on a tweaked bag design, open up Halal Mummified Jerky – Nefirtiti Mango Habanero Halal Chicken Jerky (Review #2).
It is a generally accepted story that an ancient South American Inca tribe called the Quechua first made jerky (“ch’arki”) as early as the 1500’s. Halal Mummified Jerky blows that theory away, where it is well documented that jerky was made thousands of years ago by ancient Egyptians. Archaeologists made this discovery when they found dried foods preserved in tombs. Tutankhamen, King Tut had about 40 boxes of meat and poultry in his tomb. Halal Mummified Jerky is 100% made in the USA, and their beef is certified to be halal by Halal Transactions of Omaha. Halal Mummified Jerky is distributed by Timeline Trading, and they are located in Bellevue, Washington.
The next review on Halal Mummified Jerky will focus on a 2.5 ounce/70 gram bag of their Mango Habanero flavored halal chicken jerky. Halal means food that is allowed for consumption under Islamic dietary guidelines. The aim is for a Muslim to slaughter the animal, limiting the amount of pain the animal will endure. The jerky bag was kindly submitted for review by the owner Ahmed Kamel.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast, Mango, Brown Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey, Fresh Habaneros, Minced Garlic, Seasoned Salt (Chili Peppers, Salt, Dehydrated Lime Juice, And Silicon Dioxide (Used For Anti-Caking)), Ginger, Sea Salt, Granulated Onion, Habanero Powder, Coriander, Turmeric, Cumin
The chickens used are raised in the USA. There are no guarantees that the chicken used were not administered growth hormones, or additional antibiotics. The chickens used are not guaranteed to have free range access to roam about. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists of healthy apple cider vinegar and honey.
There are many super healthy ingredients added such as minced garlic, granulated onion, mango, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and coriander.
The heat is achieved from the fresh habaneros, habanero powder, and chili peppers. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is decent at 3 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is surprisingly low at only 75mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, minimally processed sea salt is the main preservative used. With more kudos to Halal Mummified Jerky, this jerky has no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
The Halal Mummified Chicken Jerky Nefertiti Mango Habanero is very aromatic and the mangos give this jerky a fine and fruity fragrance.
The acidity of the apple cider vinegar is at the forefront with a sweet and fruity flavor of mango. I originally thought this jerky was quite spicy and found the spicy kick to deliver fairly quickly. Mark gave me a piece of an overly spicy strip and I unknowingly started my tasting with it. I was unaware of this spiciness variation while taking my first bite, it was too spicy and it did overwhelm all other flavors at the time.
Mark on the other hand said: “While it takes a while to develop, the spiciness from the habanero starts to take notice. It’s the type of heat that sneaks up on you as an after burn, a well-known characteristic of habanero peppers that I tend to love. As I consume more strips, the heat level increases a little. The level of spiciness is not strong but a solid 2 out of 4 on the heat scale.”
We’ve both noted, the spiciness varies significantly between strips and also between bites. I took a couple of bites from the less spicy pieces in order to better appreciate the depth and complexity of flavor. I really enjoyed these bites; this chicken jerky is tasty and full of flavor while more subtleties did come to life as a result of these pieces.
The saltiness, garlic and onion are at light levels followed with hints of other flavors such as coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric etc. The sweetness is also light with a decent amount of natural chicken flavor although it tends to be overwhelmed to a certain degree by its spiciness.
These strips of jerky are mainly long, narrow and sliced thin. The texture is on the soft side with a very pleasant chew.
In conclusion, the Halal Mummified Chicken Jerky Nefertiti Mango Habanero has a nice and complex flavor profile. This chicken jerky absolutely delivers on both the mango and the habanero flavors.
The Spicy Mango is very common in fruit salad, dried fruit etc. The Halal Mummified rendition of Mango and Habanero achieves an interesting twist and renders justice to this classic spicy and fruity flavor. The only shortcoming in our own opinion is the significant variation in the level of spiciness. We’ve awarded a well-deserved 9/10 taste rating.
A 2.5 ounce/70.9 gram bag of jerky sells online for $6.50, which works out to $2.60 an ounce. That would rate as an average price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The Halal Mummified Jerky logo is a cow wrapped up as a mummy. Random hieroglyphics line the borders of this label.
The Halal Mummified Jerky slogan is “The Oldest Jerky On Earth”. Some facts printed on this bag are “17.5g Protein Per Package”, “9g Sugar Per Package”, “Gluten Free”, “Premium Halal Blood Drained Meats”, “No Added Nitrates or Nitrites”, “No Added MSG”, “Made in USA”, and “Hand Slaughtered Blood Drained Halal”.
The only missing bag category is the jerky weight is not stated in grams. A halal certified symbol is printed on the bag.
Order their jerky online: www.mummifiedjerky.com
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