Buffalo Berries
August 28, 2008
By Lee Vander Boegh –
Ever heard of a Tanka Bar? I hadn’t either until the company sent me a press release the other day. Turns out it’s an all-natural snack food that combines nutrients from two important food groups: Things that are hairy and things you eat at Thanksgiving.
As the release says, the Tanka Bar “pairs prairie-raised American buffalo with tart-sweet cranberries.” It doesn’t exactly say why the company chose to pair those particular ingredients instead of, oh I don’t know, carrots and Vick’s Vapor Rub, but it does explain that the bar is “a modern artisanal take on a traditional Native American recipe for ‘wasna’ or ‘pemmican,’ which has been described by nutritionists as the perfect energy food.”
The perfect energy food? I don’t know what that means. I’ve only had buffalo meat once, and it was about 15 years ago at the Owyhee County Fair in Homedale. (Ironically, a buffalo burger stand was set up about 10 feet from – and I’m not making this up – a tame buffalo that people could ride around a short track). The burger was good, but I didn’t feel particularly energized after eating it. But I did have a crazy urge to let random strangers climb on my back and pull on my ears while their families took pictures.
What I do know is that all of this typing is wearing me out. I sure could use some energy.
Has anybody tried these? I’m curious to know what they taste like. Drop me a line in the ‘comments’ section under this column and let me know.
The Tanka Bar is delicious !
Lee, yep I’ve tried them, and they’re fantastic! In fact I’m eating one right now so I can give you a ‘live’ critique. Yummmmmmm…… It has a bit of a ‘traditional’ beef jerky flavor, but the Tanka Bar is soft and chewy not tough like dried jerky.. the cranberries add a nice tart, fruity flavor.
I recommend finding out where you can buy one and trying it yourself. If they aren’t sold locally, take a drive to SD and buy one there.
For more info on wasna, here’s a website I just found. It explains it really well, and once you’ve read it you’ll understand why the ingredients are what they are… http://www.buffalowasna.com/wasna.html
Happy Tanka Bar tasting!
Shaz
The Tanka Bar is really, really good. Try one and find out. I eat it one i can. It is healthy and it does give you real energy, not like candy bars or pop does. It’s different. Really good for the body. The bars are like, $2.something, but try one out!
Tanka Bar tastes great!! They are slightly sweet and very tender. My husband keeps them in his briefcase so he doesn’t have to eat the junk in the vending machines. Our kids ask for Tanka Bar by name.
They are GREAT! Tanka bars are tasty, moist and are excellent snacks when you’re busy or just want a quick snack. I highly recommend them —- you can’t eat just one — they are THAT good.
We just found these at our favorite health food store in Meridian. My 3 year old son has severe food allergies, and it is truly difficult to ever find an “on the go” food that contains descent protein and tastes good…(not to mention something that doesn’t have a ton of preservatives and artificial ingredients.) Our little guy is pretty particular about trying new foods, and he LOVES the Tanka bar! I think they taste great too! We are SO excited about this new bar, and plan on being some of their best customers.