C-Rations and Its History

Here's something you didn't know: the Chicken Marengo was named after the Battle of Marengo, since it was cooked by a chef right on the battlefield. In the old days, chefs would travel around with military forces, their main objective - to keep the soldiers strong and fit. But, as time progressed and technology advanced, meals became a little simpler to prepare.

When the A ration (fresh food), and the B ration (packaged but unprepared food), weren't available to the troops, the C-ration was their quick and dependable replacement. Pre-cooked, prepared, and pre-sealed, these meals were the primary source of nutrition for the troops, especially during WWII.

The Charlie ration was ideal for combat situations, and was popular from 1938 until 1958. It was around until the mid-1970's to use up the remaining supplies. In the following years, they were replaced by the MCI and the MRE, which, aside from packaging and processing, achieved the identical purpose of keeping soldiers healthy and fit.

Despite their pre-packaged nature, the C-ration offers more nutrition than is actually necessary for the average individual. And though not every individual in the military would agree upon their taste, the C-ration was always ready to eat and provided the energy and sustenance needed to keep them fighting for their cause.

To give an idea of what was commonly available, this sample C-ration (stamped March 1954) contained:

 1 Instruction sheet

 2 cheese bars (1.5 net oz./43g net)

 2 Cereal Class 5? bars (1.5 net oz./43g net)

 3 Type XII Style 1 Enriched chocolate bars (1 oz./28g)

 1 Jelly Bar (2 oz./56g)

 2 Fruit Cake Bars (2 oz./56g)

 3 sticks Topps peppermint chewing gum

 3 Domino sugar packets

 2 Nestea soluble tea product packets

 1 packet pure soluble sugar

 1 packet Soluble cream product

 1 bottle Water Purification Tablets, Individual, Iodine

 1 plastic bag

One thing to consider is that the C-ration was often amplified by incorporating local food sources into the mix. In most cases, chicken and fish would be primary additions, but ham and turkey often made the menu, as well as rice and assorted fruits. In many situations, the contents of a C-ration were only part of a soldier's nutrition, and troops would work together to prepare a much larger and far tastier meal than the C-ration alone could offer.

So, if you're considering a recipe that reminds of some fox-hole dinners of time's past, you may consider a C-ration with chicken breast flavor. You need one can of boned chicken (or boneless), a can of cheese spread, tabasco sauce, a little salt and pepper, and finished off with some butter, margarine, or oil. Depending on how many you have in your foxhole, you simply multiply serving by number of hungry bellies.

The C-ration has had a powerful impact on the men and women of the military. They depend on these prepared meals so that they can focus on the task at hand. With a little foxhole flavor, you can enjoy a taste of the past.

"The Karma Blog - Wisdom from the minds behind the friendly CRM, http://www.karmacrm.com/blog/"