Food Fun and Facts Recipe for Hard Tack Bread
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Hard Tack Bread Recipe from the Civil War Ingredients: Mix all ingredients
thoroughly. Knead dough and roll out till it is 1/2 inch thick.
Cut dough into
3x3 squares, and poke a 3x3 series of holes in the center,
evenly spaced. Bake
in preheated
oven, 425 degrees until dry and lightly golden brown.
Be sure to keep dry..If they get damp, they will get moldy quickly and
cannot be eaten. If you have any weevils or maggots throw them in for added nutritional value!
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Old Recipe for Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce Civil War Cookbooks and Civil War Medicine Books More Recipes from the 1800's 19th Century Women and Families Recipes for Bread and Rolls Hardtack was originally called "hard bread" and the term hardtack came into use by the Army of the Potomac. This biscuit was just plain flour and water and not filling. Many times, the biscuits were so hard, they could not be bitten or broken and could not be softened when soaked. Other times, the biscuits were moldy or included weevils and maggots as an added bonus! They were not required to eat moldy hardtack, but they had to eat those with the extra nutrients of weevils and Maggots, etc. Many men ate the hardtack at night, so they could not see the bugs they were eating! The information above was taken from the book Hardtack & Coffee or The Unwritten Story of Army Life shown to the right . I have this book, and if you are at all interested in The Civil War, this is a must read. A classic on the the daily life of the average soldier, from food, to shaving, to sleeping, drilling and personal activities. I would recommend this book for readers age 12 thru adult! I went thought the first 85 pages with so much interest,I thought I was reading fiction, instead of real history! There are over 400 pages of wonderful information that are usually not seen in other Civil War Books.. I would give this book a 5 Star Rating!
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 Hardtack & Coffee or The Unwritten Story of Army Life Most histories of the Civil War focus on battles and top brass. Hardtack and Coffee is one of the few to give a vivid, detailed picture of what ordinary soldiers endured every day—in camp, on the march, at the edge of a booming, smoking hell. John D. Billings of Massachusetts enlisted in the Army of the Potomac and curvived the conditions he recorded. The authenticity of his book is heightened by the many drawings that a comrade, Charles W. Reed, made in the field. This is the
story of how the Civil War soldier was recruited, provisioned, and
disciplined. Described here are the types of men found in any outfit;
their not very uniform uniforms; crowded tents and makeshift shelters;
difficulties in keeping clean, warm, and dry; their pleasure in a cup
of coffee; food rations, dominated by salt pork and the versatile
cracker or hardtack; their brave pastimes in the face of death;
punishments for various offenses; treatment in sick bay; firearms and
signals and modes of transportation. Comprehensive and anecdotal, Hardtack and Coffee is striking for the pulse of life that runs through it.
This book was originally written in 1887 and this book is a reprint of this old edition, complete with sketchings! Order at Amazon.com for under $13 save over 30% |