Army ration rules on bread

[Delmonico]

Got a question from the civy cook fer you army folks.  Why did the army ration rules state that all fresh bread be held a day or two if possible before feeding it to the troops.  I wonder about this.

I have an idea, but will wait, see if anyone else comes up with the same thing.  Don't want to prejudice anyones research.

[Delmonico]

The Gineral moved this to it's own post like I should of, but maybe that's why he is the Gineral and I is just the cook.

I am going to add this, most of what I know about the post-Civil war ration is that they tried to follow the regs of 1865 as much as possible , at least for several years.  Any information on rations would be much apreciated.  I know out on some of the posts they didn't get stuff when they should have. 

Thank You much.

[Gen Lew Wallace]

Pard, I did a little looking and the only thing I've come up with so far is from some old health regulation.  It says that all bread must be cooked thoroughly and then allowed to cool completely before being eaten.  Didn't say how long though.  I'm still on the hunt for this one.

[US Scout]

I have read in several contemporary accounts that fresh bread was much preferred to hardbread, or what we know as hardtack.

I would "think" that fresh bread was made and eaten as often as possible.  It don't take that long for a loaf to cool down after taken out of the oven.

US Scout

[Delmonico]

Hard bread (hard tack) is not what I mean, I sent this to the gineral but should have posted it.  Now It is a bit older than our period, but I understand the regs didn't change much.  This is from "Feeding the Frontier Army.  1775 to 1865 By Barbabra K. Luecke.  On page108 it has Article 27 of the 1825 regs.  Reg 202 States that "The troops ought not to be allowed to eat soft bread, fresh from the oven, with out first toasting it.  This process renders it nearly as wholesome and nutritious as stale bread."

I continue to search my referances, but I know I have seen that bread was to stale a day or so before eating where possible.  This might have been in Civil War books from the Library. 

It is one of those mysteries that only a food historian would even worry about.  I have fed my unit much fresh bread in the past. 

[Trailrider]

Could it have had anything to do with the concern that yeast might cause the troops gastric distress, bloating, flatulance, etc.? Or maybe, like the parody of the temperance union song by the Chad Mitchell Trio, "We don't eat cookies because they have yeast, And one little bite turns a man to a beast..."   

[Delmonico]

That is my asumption as to why, but did not want to prejudice anyone.   Them old barracks and tents could be a bit lacking on ventilation. 

I don't have my notes handy here but I think the ration was about the size of a large home made loaf today.  Fresh bread does have that affect on people at times. 

If any body else has any more info I would like to know.

[Gen Lew Wallace]

The wife says that air and water give me gas.   

[Delmonico]

Such things were not often mentioned, but a bunch of men with a lot of gas seems to be hinted at from time to time in accounts of the period either civilian or military.  One thing that seems to get very bad rap are the Sibley tents.  Since these were used in the field and held I belive 20 men a bunch that had not bathed because of field conditions would be a bit rank.  Add a bunch of guys whose diet had been sudenly changed for the worse and that tent could get a bit dangerous.

One note:  Many Indian accounts of going to white towns talk about how bad they smelled.  White accounts of Indian villages talk about how bad they smelled.  I think they both would have offend the noses of us modern folks.

[SGT John Chapman]

Gen Wallace,
My wife says the same thing......................she still lets me have my beans though.........

[Delmonico]

I highly recomend going over ta TFS and check out Ruff Justice's Kinchee recipes.  Good stuff but a platoon of kimchee eaters could blow the top off of a Sibley.

In all seriousness there are hints that flatulance was a problem in the Frontier Army, the just didn't often come out and say it.

[Gen Lew Wallace]

Gawd, kimchee brings back bad memories of my tour in Korea.  PEW! 

[Delmonico]

Gineral, I bet ya have ate that hot beef stuff ya eat on a lettuce leaf with rice and that really good pepper sauce?  Can't rember the name, ny notes and recipes are home right now, but good stuff.

Also never move kimchee from point A to point B in a sealed jars in an un-air conditioned car on a hot day.  If you do, be careful of the ceiling in yer kitchen.

[Gen Lew Wallace]

Pard, I'm a midwestern farm boy raised on meat and potatoes.  I never did like green leafy stuff.    I think yaki-mandu(sic) was ok, which is spicy beef.  Other than that, forget it.