early field rations

[coloradoclyde]

Vinegar is a great condiment.
I have put in on everything from salad to pizza.

This may interest some... http://www.foodhistorynews.com/debunk.html

 

[satx78247]

THANKS.

A personal note (returning to "MP field rations"): I was once known familiarly as "Commandante Tabasco", as my "local national troops" thought that it was FUNNY that I used to routinely carry a bottle of Tabasco (wrapped in duct tape) in my BDU pocket "to spice things up".
(I found the "local fare", in that nation, rather bland & "sent home" for a case of Tabasco sauce.)

yours, satx

 

[coloradoclyde]

Tabasco:
A vinegar condiment seasoned with hot peppers and salt. :grin:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Also again all guess nothing to back it up from our talked about time frame. Vinegar is 90% effective against bacteria and 80%-83% effective against viruses and mold/mildew. If I had nothing else, and maybe no time to stop & boil water I would sure be adding vinegar to my water ration.

Except that vinegar is 90% effective when used straight, but it's effectiveness drops quickly as you add it to water, so that it's much less than 50% effective when you mix it half and half with water.

The low pH of the acetic acid is more of a bacteria and mold inhibitor than a bacteria and virus killer...so boiling one's meat ration in vinegar and water will help keep it from spoiling for one or two days. So it was probably preservative and flavoring.

It's also sometimes talked about that the men "purified" the water in their canteens with their alcohol ration. Well you need to have a 60 proof beverage (30% alcohol by volume) to begin killing any bacteria, 80 proof (like most store bought liquor) to kill most of the bacteria, and 120 proof (like moonshine right from the still) to kill all of the harmful bacteria. So they may have thought they were purifying the water when they were simply hiding off flavor or smells by adding their rum to their canteen of water.

LD

 

[tenngun]

Vinigar was seen as a 'health food' but is tasty, even on fresh meat and any veggies. The men eating fresh kills in the west would flavor meat with gall, and every 'chippy' offers malt vinegar. Burning gunpowder and vinegar on berthing decks and forecastles was a well known way to clean out a deck. Slavers would clean out the hold with vinagar

 

[coloradoclyde]

Ok! let's remember that vinegar is produced by bacteria and is called a "mother"(Acetobacter) and it eats alcohol . Alcohol (of many types)can also be produced by bacteria as well as my favorite unicellular fungi. Even a mildly alcoholic beverage will not support viable growing conditions for harmful pathogens. Not to say that a scrounging strain won't move in and create bad flavors.

Remember that store bought vinegar has been diluted to a nominal acidity. and vinegars other than distilled can contain live bacteria that could take up residence in a canteen. eventually creating a slimy mess.

 

[satx78247]

Surely you jest. = We southern GIs don't dilute our "white likker" with water; instead, we carry a 3rd canteen.
(During the ARNG rotation to Iraq, the AL, OK & TN Guardsmen set up their stills before they erected their tents. Also, I was once an advisor to a PRARNG 19-77H company & was "impressed with" the homemade rum made by those folks.)

yours, satx

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Not really sure what you mean by "mildly alcoholic beverage". Let us not confuse something like wine, with a high acid content that also contributes to prevention of bacterial growth, to taking a polluted source of water, and adding alcohol that will kill the bacterial pathogens already present, not to mention the parasites, thus purifying the water. Taking one's gill of rum ration, albeit at 95 proof, and dumping it into a 16 oz. canteen, then adding infected water, will give you only about 12% ABV, which won't alone, kill off any of the critters.

LD

 

[coloradoclyde]

Good catch Dave, I was referring to something that has been sterilized and has a low PH like beer.
Let us also make the distinction between purifying water and sterilizing or sanitizing it.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

OK cool, we were actually on the same paper...

LD :grin:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Yep! :thumbsup:

 

[Alden]

I seem to recall calculating that the guys were basically alotted something like four Quarter Pounders with Cheese and Ally Fries a day during the Rev War.

Actually! There seems to be a lot of reports of men starving.

Many is the slip betwixt the allotment & the lip :idunno: they were also paid monthly about 3 time a year :rotf:

That's quite right. But sometimes they got what they were promised. And in the War of the Rebellion bacon delievries were weighed down with stones and water... With that understanding we recognize it was often catch as catch can.

 

[pargent]

The British and Colonial Armies have always (and still do ) , carry an abundant supply of PINEAPPLES with them on campaign . :shocked2:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Ah but they are quite small, green, and they pull off the stems and throw them at the enemy...they don't eat them. :wink:

LD

 

[pargent]

No not those ones ,but another pineapple , but if I told you I would get deleted again by someone who does not understand English or Colonial English (reference to real pineapples ,the fruit ones )

 

[Loyalist Dave]

:rotf: Sorry a bit slow...now I get ya... :rotf:

LD