[carlo3b]

HOW ABOUT SOME CIVIL WAR FOOD... yummmmmmm

Hardtack, was a stapple of both armies as well as the general population of the early Americans. It was a cracker-like biscuit made of flour, salt and water and was one of the most typical rations issued to soldiers by the U. S. government because it was fairly nutritious and unlikely to spoil. This hard bread was made in government bakeries located in cities and shipped in barrels to the troops. Hardtack had to be tough to withstand the trip. Many Civil War soldiers complained about this ration noting the extreme hardness of the biscuits (sometimes called "teeth-dullers"), which at times had to be broken with a rifle "butt" or a "blow of the fist" to prepare for eating. Soldiers sometimes softened the pieces by soaking them in coffee, frying them in bacon grease, or crumbling them in soup.
Hardtack could become infested with insects in the government storehouses or during the soldier’s travels. One disappointed soldier claimed that "All the fresh meat we had came in the hard bread!" ....GULP!

Hardtack

The basic ingredients are:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbl spoon of lard or rendered fat
• 6 pinches of salt

General directions: Disolve salt in water and work into flour with your hands. Dough should be firm and pliable, but not sticky or too dry. Flatten onto a cookie sheet to about 1/4 inch thick, and cut into squares 3 inches by 3 inches. Pierce each square with 16 holes about ½ inch apart. Bake in oven until edges are brown or dough is hard.
Remove from oven, cut dough into 3-inch squares, and punch four rows of holes into the dough.
Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another 30 minutes.
(quantities differ between recipes, but the end results were about the same).

[carlo3b]

Confederate Johnnie Cakes

These were a real treat for the soldiers, and are slightly different than biscuits that are still prepared in southern homes today.

• 2 cups of cornmeal
• 2/3 cup of buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (lard)
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Mix ingredients into a stiff batter and form eight biscuit-sized "dodgers".
Bake on a lightly greased sheet at 350 degrees for twenty to twenty five minutes or until brown.
Or spoon the batter into hot cooking oil in a frying pan over a low flame.
Optional: spread with a little butter or molasses, and you can still have a real southern treat!
 

Additional items that Union soldiers received were salt pork, fresh or salted beef, coffee, sugar, salt, vinegar, dried fruit and dried vegetables. If the meat was poorly preserved, the soldiers would refer to it as "salt horse". Sometimes they would receive fresh vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.
Confederate soldiers were not as fortunate. Their rations consisted of bacon and corn meal, tea, sugar or molasses, and fresh vegetables when they were available.

 

[Roscoe]

Soak the hardtack for 24 hours in saltwater. Tear into pieces about the size of half-dollars. Press firmly between the palms of your hands, sling the water off. Press too lightly, the hardtack chunks will be too wet. Press too hard, you wind up with goo. Practice till you get it right.

Mix in chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and bell peppers. Add mayonaisse, salt and pepper to taste.

[Ditter]

hummmmm........ I made some Hardtack the other day...... I thought I was making dumplings, but I must have used the wrong recipe. Carlo, do you have a good dumpling recipe?

[msdrby]

"Hardtack, was a stapple of both armies as well as the general population of the early Americans...."

I remember in grade school making hardtack biscuits during history class. Just about broke off my front teeth trying to eat it!

[piasa]

So.... just how much protein do weevils and mealworms add to hardtack, anyway? (And does the FDA require the labeling to include nutrition facts for servings with as well as without- uh- invertebrate "supplements?")