Hardtack (Civil War )

 "Supper consisted of hard bread, raw pork and coffee. The coffee you probably wouldn't recognize . Boiled in an open kettle, and about the color of a brownstone front, it was , nevertheless, the only warm thing we had..." -Charles Nott, Union Soldier ( 16 yrs old)

 HARDTACK ( a staple in the civil war) with 2 million soldiers in the Union army, only the basics were provided. A hard task to keep them from starving. I have been reading excerpts from  Civil War cookbooks.  Usually I'm fascinated by quilts of the era, but now I find myself equally compelled to try out some of these recipes.  And first off is HARDTACK.Sounds yummy, doesn't it?

Hardtack has the most simple ingredients.   

 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings, or Crisco, or oil. 6 pinches of salt. ( And nothing else...)

This stuff kept for a long time. Granted in time it wold become mouldy or collect worms. I can imagine soldiers picking the worms out of the hardtack, before they ate it. Or throwing it into the trenches. I wonder if they ate the worms as well.....

 Combine all ingredients into a stiff dough. Use your hands if you wish.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  "To live far out and on, in the life of others;...to give life's best for such high sake that it should be found again unto eternal life.” ― Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

 Pile the dough onto a greased surface. I used a silpat sheet, just cause I thought it might be easier. Flatten as best you can.

 It usually is cut into squares, but I cut it into triangles  as if they were going to be scones.The dough cuts really well.

 Hardtack was also known as "tooth dullers", since it was very very dry and hard once baked.I wonder how many men broke their teeth on it.

 Once flattened and cut into triangles ( or squares, if you prefer), separate on the baking sheet.

 I baked the tray ....the recipe says 25 minutes....but I   found to get the proper hardness had to  bake for almost 35 minutes. I kept poking at them to see if they were crunchy, or tough enough.Let's just say you can't over bake these.

 “We also ate all the rats we could catch. No doubt many died after the war from disease contracted account of these things.” 
― George Levy, To Die in Chicago: Confederate Prisoners at Camp Douglas 1862-65

 When they're done. they kind of have this resounding "thunk" . It means they're perfect. They actually look quite nice. Now comes the brave part. Tasting them.......here goes......

Well. They do not taste like scones. Really tough . Really chewy. Not something I would serve with High tea. But they would probably work with soup or stew.

 For a major treat, the soldiers would mush them up in water, and slop on some molasses. So, I was brave and actually tried that.  One word: Yuck.But if you're on the road, struggling to find enough to eat, it would probably seem like heaven. Hardtack has been remembered  in song and poem. On long marches, it would have been the only thing they  had available to eat.

 It is said that it was advised that the Hardtack should be soaked in coffee for six weeks to take care of any bugs that may have hitched a ride. Sometimes the hardtack could be crumbled up into a gruel and fried like a pancake. With more molasses as the topping.  They were inventive......they had to eat. They had to survive.

 "They were,the Spam of the era." -Sandy Levins ( food historian)

Photographs 2018