Man eats original hard tack - 153 years old

My Dad told me that he always enjoyed the chocolate bar in his rations during World War II. He was in New Guinea, and many times they be all melted but the soldiers would still eat them anyways.

An article on the chocolate bar which was made by Hershey is at:
http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/chocolate-the-wars-secret-weapon/



Another article from the Hershey Archives is "Ration D Bars" at:

http://www.hersheyarchives.org/essay/details.aspx?Essayld=26

Some nice American GIs shared their chocolate bars with German kids after WWII. My Mom still remembers them and even more so the chewing gum they also shared, which was completely unknown to German kids until that time.
 
Any reenactors here who have tried reproduction hardtack?

I'm wondering whether the mothball and old library book taste of the 153 year old hardtack is how hardtack tastes even when "fresh" or whether that is the result of mold. Eating anything that is 153 years old sounds like a really bad idea, but particularly if it's got potentially poisonous mold growing on it.
 
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:

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or one of these?

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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! :thumbsup:

P38 is also an abbreviation for protein, I think he got the P38 can opener. :thumbsup:
 
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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

At least he's not a fussy eater, I reckon rubber tyre, mothball and old library book is an acquired taste.
 
The older couple next door to this old couple (i.e. me 'n the Mrs.) have a tin of the chocolate sent out by order of Queen Victoria to every soldier serving in South Africa against the Boers - New Year's Day, 1900. They let me open it but for some reason didn't want me to unwrap and eat anything!

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The tins and contents were made by the three Quaker-owned companies in England - Cadbury, Fry and Rowntree. 120,000 were shipped - none for officers. Since the Quakers did not like the idea of profiting from war (even obliquely) but liked the idea of disappointing Victoria even less, they accepted her order but compromised by not allowing their names to be shown on the tins. However, they did stamp the company names on the chocolate inside!
 
The older couple next door to this old couple (i.e. me 'n the Mrs.) have a tin of the chocolate sent out by order of Queen Victoria to every soldier serving in South Africa against the Boers - New Year's Day, 1900. They let me open it but for some reason didn't want me to unwrap and eat anything!

s-l225.jpg


The tins and contents were made by the three Quaker-owned companies in England - Cadbury, Fry and Rowntree. 120,000 were shipped - none for officers. Since the Quakers did not like the idea of profiting from war (even obliquely) but liked the idea of disappointing Victoria even less, they accepted her order but compromised by not allowing their names to be shown on the tins. However, they did stamp the company names on the chocolate inside!

Those tins even when empty are worth a bit of money, about £200 or $266.66 you may be interested to know that there is currently a very rare booklet that tells the history of the tin for sale on a well known auction site and its reasonably priced.

A very rare, interesting and hard to find booklet combining the history of the tin, contemporary quotes and accounts of the soldier's reaction to receiving the gift, stories from the Boer War involving the tin and much more. A must for any Boer War historian's library.
 
I did consider mugging my neighbours for the box but my wife wasn't really for it. Having visited many of the Anglo-African war sites and related points (Kimberly, Mafeking, Elandslaagte, Slagter's Nek, Colenso, Spion Kop, Talana Hill, Magersfontein, Sanna Pos, and Churchill's capture site), my interest is high but not so much in the chocolate after all!
 
Colenso, that would be a Zulu war site, Fanny Colenso, her father was Bishop Colenso, was an ardent supporter of Anthony Durnford, he was scapegoated by Lord Chelmsford for the massacre at Isandlwana. Later that same day within a few miles was Rorke's Drift
 
I did consider mugging my neighbours for the box but my wife wasn't really for it. Having visited many of the Anglo-African war sites and related points (Kimberly, Mafeking, Elandslaagte, Slagter's Nek, Colenso, Spion Kop, Talana Hill, Magersfontein, Sanna Pos, and Churchill's capture site), my interest is high but not so much in the chocolate after all!
I noticed your quote includes Saul David, don't bother with his books on the African Zulu and Boer wars, very inaccurate.
 
Not quite exactly..... poor old Durnford; hard to fault him really (IMO).

The Battle of Colenso was the third and final battle fought during the Black Week of the Second Boer War. It was fought between British and Boer forces from the independent South African Republic and Orange Free State in and around Colenso, Natal, South Africa on 15 December 1899.

Inadequate preparation and reconnaissance and uninspired leadership led to a heavy, and in some respects humiliating, British defeat

Rorke's Drift and iSandlwana are both wonderful sites - I went twice. Second time I walked some of the Fugitive Trail from iSandlwana hill down to the river but it was too rough going alone. Also went to Blood River which was somewhat earlier and rather different contestants!

Edit to add: Saul David? I quoted? Never heard of him.... Pakenham's my guy (Boer War and The Scramble for Africa); Knight and Morris on the Zulu war
 
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Not quite exactly..... poor old Durnford; hard to fault him really (IMO).



Rorke's Drift and iSandlwana are both wonderful sites - I went twice. Second time I walked some of the Fugitive Trail from iSandlwana hill down to the river but it was too rough going alone. Also went to Blood River which was somewhat earlier and rather different contestants!

Edit to add: Saul David? I quoted? Never heard of him....

Colenso, or the name Colenso came from the Colenso family. Saul David wrote a couple of AZW books, he got a number of things wrong. A quick mention also for John Chard VC, he is buried only a few miles from my home.

Now back to Crackers and stale food...:thumbsup:
 
Not quite exactly..... poor old Durnford; hard to fault him really (IMO).



Rorke's Drift and iSandlwana are both wonderful sites - I went twice. Second time I walked some of the Fugitive Trail from iSandlwana hill down to the river but it was too rough going alone. Also went to Blood River which was somewhat earlier and rather different contestants!

Edit to add: Saul David? I quoted? Never heard of him.... Pakenham's my guy (Boer War and The Scramble for Africa); Knight and Morris on the Zulu war
Couldn't resist responding, I meant to say your signature. definitely Ian Knight and I highly recommend Adrian Greaves.
 
My husband was really good at smuggling home C-Rations and various other things from the barracks, so when we were first married I utilized most of the items to supplement our $75 monthly budget for food. The coffee and creamer made the best frosting in the world, added to shortening, vanilla and powdered sugar. Used the ham to make scalloped potatoes and ham (maybe with the cheese spread?), pound cake with fruit, etc. We used everything!
 
Just found an article about a gentleman that found a 22 pound chunk of butter in an Irish peat bog, the thing is, its 2,000 years old. Apparently its not that uncommon for the bog cutters to find buried butter. The conditions of the peat keep it fresh and because the butter doesn't contain salt it remains preserved. They also found a keg which was 3,000 years old which contained butter along with another keg which was even older at 5,000 years with 100 pounds of butter in it. People have tasted the butter and because of its age, it ends up with a very similar taste to cheese. The interesting thing is, when they dig up the butter it still has the impressions of the persons fingers that made it all those years ago. The butter is so well preserved that it is still deemed to be edible.

Irish bog butter, quite nice on a hard tack.
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