The only movies I’ve seen that portrayed military food as awful were films about the American Civil War. OK, MASH too, in both the TV show and movie. But today, we tackle if Hollywood representation is accurate.

Rock Bread

For the American Civil War soldier, hardtack was a staple. It was basically bread almost as hard as a rock, so it would not go wrong. It was not unheard of for meat rations at the time (if they could get them) to contain maggots. In fact, it was pretty typical. Extra protein.

 

The horror of hardtack bread. If it's bad enough to make a cartoon about, it's got to be pretty bad. Image Credit: new.qq.com
The horror of hardtack bread. If it’s bad enough to make a cartoon about, it’s got to be pretty bad. Image Credit: new.qq.com

 

When World War I broke out, British soldiers were offered one unappealing item; the Huntley & Palmers No.4 Army biscuit. Well preserved examples of this product exist to this day. There is even a website out there dedicated to the many uses of this versatile food item.

 

Soldiers would complain that this biscuit was tougher than their teeth. Image Credit: new.qq.com
Soldiers would complain that this biscuit was more challenging than their teeth. Image Credit: new.qq.com

 

It’s been said that these biscuits were the culinary equivalent of steel-toed boots. I wish I had come up with that one.