Hardtack & Coffee or The Unwritten Story of Army Life by John Davis Billings

The daily allowance on board a Royal Navy ship in 1588 (which was long before Star Wars punched itself in the gut with The Force Awakens) was 1 pound of hardtack and 1 gallon of small beer. It was baked 4 times instead of two for long voyages and prepared 6 months before sailing. If kept dry, it could stay hard intact for several years because it was baked hard. To make it soft, hardtack was often dunked in coffee, brine or some other liquid, or it was cooked into a skillet. The captain’s biscuit, which was more refined than the one rationed to sailors, was made with finer flour. Because of its hardness and dryness, hardtack can survive extreme temperatures and rough handling when properly stored and transported. Therefore, for health and sustenance, it was considered good for one’s constitution to eat one biscuit a day.īiscuits were made as hard as possible by bakers of the time because the biscuits would become soft and more palatable with time as they were exposed to humidity and other elements of the weather. It does not taste like a banana split but it will keep you alive.Ĭenturies ago, some physicians associated with digestion with most medical issues.

The name ‘hardtack or hard tack’ is derived from the term “tack”, which is a slang used for food by British sailors.Īpart from sheet iron and tooth dullers, it is also known by other names such as ship’s biscuit, sea biscuit, pilot bread, cabin bread, sea bread, soda crackers, and other pejorative names like worm castles, molar breakers, and dog biscuits. It is commonly used during military campaigns, land migrations, and sea voyages. This hard cracker is the food that is often used as sustenance when there is a shortage or absence of regular perishable foods. Because it is not just inexpensive and long-lasting, but also quite tasty. Hardtack is a popular kind of biscuit or cracker that is made of water, flour, and sometimes, a bit of salt. Well, whatever you call it, hardtack is an excellent food item to pack for outdoor trips, and you will find that it is quite easy to eat when you crumble it into soup, cocoa, or coffee or when you cook it with other foods.

Hardtack & Coffee or The Unwritten Story of Army Life by John Davis Billings