Hardtack And Chicken

[MikeyB]

Anyone know - why was it hardtack and bacon and not hardtrack and chicken? Given that chicken, at least today is a much more popular and plentiful protein in the US.

Were there just a lot more hog farms than chicken farms back then? Did pork just preserve better for longer periods of time than chicken? Was salted chicken just disgusting?

 

[Carronade]

Interesting question. Aside from American or the Civil War, I don't recall seeing chicken or other poultry as preserved meat anywhere in the pre-refrigeration era.

One thought, due to their small size, it would take more labor to get say 100 pounds of chicken meat ready for preservation then pork or beef.

 

[2nd Alabama Cavalry]

Anyone know - why was it hardtack and bacon and not hardtrack and chicken? Given that chicken, at least today is a much more popular and plentiful protein in the US.

Were there just a lot more hog farms than chicken farms back then? Did pork just preserve better for longer periods of time than chicken? Was salted chicken just disgusting?

It`s my understanding that the reason that soldiers of both armies were given pork and beef over chicken was due to the shortage of salt during the war. Confederate soldiers in specific were compelled to use salted meat for their food and were given it to address that shortage in their diet. Salt pork was a soldiers main supply of protein during the ACW. Regarding bacon, many historians believe that the term was generic and was used to describe all salt and smoked pork, not just what we now consider to be "bacon". Salted beef and jerky were also given to the soldiers in addition to salt pork. However, many ate salt beef only out of necessity, as it was basically all of the very worst parts of a cow that you could think of, which included organs and everything else. For that reason numerous soldiers complained heavily about being served salt beef and much preferred salt pork in its stead.

When soldiers were campaigning they would be given a few days cooked rations (meats) and then crackers / biscuits (hard-tack) for when the cooked rations were gone. The food was horrible in both armies during the war, primarily due to food shortages and a lack of both refrigeration and large-scale food processing. Hardtack could be stored in wooden barrels and would not need refrigeration, however many complained of flies getting into the supplies of hardtack and laying maggots.

 

[FedericoFCavada]

One may practically guarantee that any and all edible fowl--and much else besides--in the path of the armies was unceremoniously killed, plucked, stewed, roasted, boiled or fried and eaten.

 

[donna]

Pork kept while chicken would have to be eaten right away. Of course chicken or other fowl could be caught on the march and then prepared and served to soldiers.