Kuivaliha (lit. "dry meat"), also known as kapaliha, is salted and dried meat, often reindeer meat.
It is a traditional food and a delicacy of Northern Finland, prepared at springtime. Like jerky, of which kuivaliha is a variant of, its origins lie in the need for food preservation. Kuivaliha is a very useful snack when camping and etc., for its small weight and good nutrition values.
Kuivaliha is prepared outdoors by hanging salted strips of meat in the open air, facing south (for sunshine). Netting is often used to keep carrion birds away. The drying process takes approximately three weeks.
Preparation of Kuivaliha is based on specific weather conditions in the Finnish springtime, namely ambient temperature above freezing during the day; below-freezing temperatures at night; a dry wind; and sunlight. The Kuivaliha can't be prepared in summer, because meat-eating insects would lay eggs on the meat.