Man eats original hard tack - 153 years old

[Keiri]

Here's the recipe:
http://www.americantable.org/2013/06/civil-war-recipe-hardtack-1861/

Personally I think this is stupid. He ate something the soldiers didn't even eat! Their hard tack wasn't 153 years old! not to mention, the original company still makes them with the same recipe.

And weevils - I'd like to add:

http://anything-aos.livejournal.com/102625.html

 

[rosefiend]

Fun fact: I understand that at the end of the Civil War, the unissued hardtack was put into storage -- and then used as soldiers' rations in the Spanish-American War.

 

[frontrank2]

While before Petersburg, doing siege work in the summer of 1864, our men had some wormy hardtack served out to them for a time. It was a severe trial, and it taxed the temper of the men. Breaking open the biscuit, and finding live worms in them, they would throw the pieces in the trenches where they were doing duty day by day, although the orders were to keep the trenches clean, for sanitary reasons.
A brigade officer of the day, seeing some of these scraps along our front, called out sharply to our men: " Throw that hardtack out of the trenches. " Then, as the men promptly gathered it up as directed, he added: " Don't you know that you've no business to throw hardtack in the trenches? Haven't you been told that often enough?" A disgruntled soldier offered his explanation: " We've thrown it out two or three times sir, but it crawls back!"

H Clay Trumball, War Memories of Army Chaplain, 1898 pp52-53

 

[redbob]

I have always suspected that the crackers that came in C Ration cans were from the same recipe as the hardtack.

 

[tryagain]

The Soldier in the sterograph is James Forsyth

AS to eating Hardtack--how is teeth?

 

[Nathanb1]

I have always suspected that the crackers that came in C Ration cans were from the same recipe as the hardtack.

I agree!

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

That guy is nuts. Reminds of a Seinfeld scene.

 

[donna]

Could this be moved to the Food Forum?

 

[Keiri]

apologies, I didnt know that it belonged there...

 

[TinCan]

donna you are being way to kind to call hardtack food!

 

[sflickinger]

I have always suspected that the crackers that came in C Ration cans were from the same recipe as the hardtack.

Amen to that. I remember the cigarettes were so hard you could have driven them with a hammer. Thankfully, I didn't smoke. I made some trades. I once traded the cigarettes from four meals for a P-38. Good trade.

 

[Bee]

I got news for this dude: a broken tooth is very expensive! (not worth the risk)

 

[redbob]

Amen to that. I remember the cigarettes were so hard you could have driven them with a hammer. Thankfully, I didn't smoke. I made some trades. I once traded the cigarettes from four meals for a P-38. Good trade.

And they didn't even have the peanut butter or cheese spread to put on them during the Civil War.

 

[civilwarincolor]

I got news for this dude: a broken tooth is very expensive! (not worth the risk)

My wife just broke one yesterday $2,200 and it was not covered by insurance!

 

[civilwarincolor]

Amen to that. I remember the cigarettes were so hard you could have driven them with a hammer. Thankfully, I didn't smoke. I made some trades. I once traded the cigarettes from four meals for a P-38. Good trade.

When I was growing up my Dad was stationed in Germany (US Air Force) and he used to buy cases of rations for us to eat when we went on camping trips. We had a VW camper and used to travel all over Europe. My parents would open each one and remove the cigarettes and then use them as bartering chips. The locals loved getting American cigarettes so it worked out for everyone.

So I have one question for you.

When you traded the cigarettes for a P-38 did you end up with one of these:

Expired Image Removed

or one of these?



Either way a good trade, but if you ended up with the 2nd one my hat is definitely off to you as the trade of all trades!

 

[civilwarincolor]

The Soldier in the sterograph is James Forsyth

AS to eating Hardtack--how is teeth?

 

[redbob]

When I was growing up my Dad was stationed in Germany (US Air Force) and he used to buy cases of rations for us to eat when we went on camping trips. We had a VW camper and used to travel all over Europe. My parents would open each one and remove the cigarettes and then use them as bartering chips. The locals loved getting American cigarettes so it worked out for everyone.

So I have one question for you.

When you traded the cigarettes for a P-38 did you end up with one of these:

Expired Image Removed

or one of these?



Either way a good trade, but if you ended up with the 2nd one my hat is definitely off to you as the trade of all trades!

I suspect what he ended up with was a little marvel with a folding blade that was used to open the dee-licious little green cans. One rumor as to why the can opener was called a P-38 was that it took 38 plunges of the blade to open a C-Ration can.

 

[TinCan]

More likely one of these lol!

 

[civilwarincolor]

I suspect what he ended up with was a little marvel with a folding blade that was used to open the dee-licious little green cans. One rumor as to why the can opener was called a P-38 was that it took 38 plunges of the blade to open a C-Ration can.

More likely one of these lol!

View attachment 104242

I actually had thought about that and should have included it in my response, but since those came included in the C-Rations I did not see why he would be trading part of the ration for something that came with it.

If that is what he got in his trade, then I am unimpressed!

 

[redbob]

I actually had thought about that and should have included it in my response, but since those came included in the C-Rations I did not see why he would be trading part of the ration for something that came with it.

If that is what he got in his trade, then I am unimpressed!

If I remember correctly, only four can openers came with each case of C Rations, making them a desired commodity. The most undesired commodity was the meats(?) that came in the small cans, however , with them you got fruit which was highly desirable. The large entrée cans held beenee weenies, beans with meatballs or spaghetti, but they had pound cake or fruit cake as a dessert.