Happy Veterans Day! Military Food Staples That Supported the Troops' Stomachs
Happy Veterans Day! Whether the veterans in your life carry fond memories of the mess hall or still refer to MREs as "Meals Refused by the Enemy," one thing is for certain: they remember what they ate. The modern approach to field rations dates back to 1775, when the Continental Congress dictated the provisions of the Continental Army: meat and bread; peas, beans, or vegetables; and a pint of milk for every man. Since then, meals in the field have come a long way—they come in pouches and cans, as powders and pastes, often with a built-in heating device. We looked at the history of c-rations, MCIs, and MREs and gathered a few of our favorite military staples.
(C) Eric Kiel Photography1/6Tabasco Sauce
For more than a century, soldiers have been sure to pack Tabasco—a known and trusted safeguard against bland rations. The company's late former president, Paul McIlhenny, claimed his great uncle served with Teddy Roosevelt and "made sure he had a bottle" in the Spanish-American War. Today, the Army includes an 8-ounce bottle with MREs.
Ron Dollette/Flickr2/6Chipped Beef on Toast (S.O.S.)
The S.O.S. here stands for "Sh-t on a Shingle," as soldiers have commonly referred to this creamy, salty mess-hall mainstay. If you're interested in cooking it the old-fashioned way, 1910's Manual for Army Cooks provides a simple recipe, but you'll need a lot of friends—it yields enough to feed 60 soldiers. (Photo by Ron Dollete/Flickr)
Tom Schierlitz3/6Regulation Brownies
Everyone loves brownies—even the Pentagon knows that. In 2010, their 26-page brownie recipe became an internet sensation; it includes such instructions as "The baked brownie or oatmeal cookie, as applicable, prior to coating, shall be tested for moisture content in accordance with the Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC): Chapter: Cereal Foods; section." But there's a reason for all the regulation: if correctly packaged, these brownies last three years. Want a recipe with a little less fine print? Try our classic cocoa brownies.
4/6Pea Soup
Historically, Polish and Scandinavian armies have relied on pea soup as a go-to vegetable source; they often include bacon or pork for flavor. The Polish have a simple rule-of-thumb for their military pea soup (grochówka wojskowa): it must be thick enough to stick a spoon in at a 90-degree angle. Try making a version of our split-pea soup with smoked sausage and greens that can pass the test.
5/6Field Bread
It's a sad fact of life: fresh bread goes stale fast. Soldiers have tried to find a way out of this dilemma with results of varying tastiness and inventiveness. This 1916 recipe calls for cottonseed oil, the most widely available vegetable oil of the day.
6/6Zapplesauce
In 2011, the Army rolled out Zapplesauce, a squeezable pouch of applesauce infused with maltodextrin to give soldiers an extra energy boost. It's not yet available for civilian purchase, but fear not: we thought of six other ways of upgrading your applesauce.
