1944 C Ration Breakfast B Unit
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:41 pm
Hello!
It's been a little while since I've written up a review - normally put off by the photo compression stage of things. However, this time I felt it was something really worth sharing.
A few years ago I came into the possession of a 1944 B Unit, that I was assured would likely be edible and encouraged to open and try! It was the first one in my collection so I was in a dilemma between opening and trying or preserving this one. I decided that when the right occasion arose, I would take this once in a lifetime opportunity to open and enjoy some food from my favourite period in history.
That occasion happened a couple of weeks ago at Azeville Gun Battery in Normandy, France. This is a German gun battery that was covering the far end of the American invasion sector. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeville_battery
I've made regular trips to Normandy over the years with my friend Phil (Phil_M87 on here I think), who runs Normandy War Guide https://www.normandywarguide.com/, so he was there to enjoy this experience with me.
As promised, this ration was completely edible. The biscuits were pretty smashed up, having held their shape until I tried to remove them from the can, at which point they disintegrated.
They were relatively stale, but not foul or bad. I ate all but "approximately" 1 biscuit, which I've kept for future reference. Although they resemble a digestive biscuit the texture and taste were very different. Much less crumbly and not sweet. Although thicker they are a much closer resemblance to MCI crackers, just not salted.
The Cereal disc was a step up from the biscuits. Much sweeter, crumbly and delicious! I ate around a third dry and another third crumbled into boiling water. I have to say, both methods were pretty nice but reconstituted as a porridge would be my preference. I don't have refined enough taste to tell you exactly what the ingredients are without looking this up on Kration, but dry it reminded me very much of a crumbly oat granola bar.
Coffee and Sugar - both perfect! The coffee smelt and tasted great. I can't say I could tell it apart from the more modern instant versions as I tend not to drink instant coffee, but It was a real surprise how good 1940's instant coffee was. I had imagined it would be terrible in comparison, but it wasn't. When I checked it over, it did stain my hand...so I'm guessing there was chicory involved in portions that you don't see today - although I couldn't taste it.
I added 2 sugars and thoroughly enjoyed the drink and setting! It did make me wonder who else might have been before me, drinking US Ration coffee in this spot.
I've saved the best for last. The Candy Coated Peanuts! These were absolutely sealed in time. A very hard candy on top of a plain peanut, and although the ingredients only list "Sugar and Peanuts" I can't imagine there is a whole lot else involved beyond colouring and perhaps a binder. A simple sweet and savoury taste, similar to a modern M&M - these were great! I bit into the first one to check on the colour and deterioration of the nut inside but found it to be the pale colour of a fresh nut. No numbness, no strange after taste - delicious!
I probably ate a third of the packet there and then and since have picked on the odd one here and there to draw out the experience.
There are a few people I have promised to share that experience with, so most the rest of these will be shared out in the next few weeks.
In hindsight, I'm really glad I opened this while I had the time to savour and enjoy it in the correct setting. It was an experience not at all wasted on me at all and one I won't forget any time soon. It was good to enjoy it and reflect on what had happened on the ground we were standing on. I imagine, those peanuts would have been quite the morale booster and reminder of home on a tough day.
Anyway, if anyone wants the original photos or has any questions, ping me a message!
All the best,
Jim
It's been a little while since I've written up a review - normally put off by the photo compression stage of things. However, this time I felt it was something really worth sharing.
A few years ago I came into the possession of a 1944 B Unit, that I was assured would likely be edible and encouraged to open and try! It was the first one in my collection so I was in a dilemma between opening and trying or preserving this one. I decided that when the right occasion arose, I would take this once in a lifetime opportunity to open and enjoy some food from my favourite period in history.
That occasion happened a couple of weeks ago at Azeville Gun Battery in Normandy, France. This is a German gun battery that was covering the far end of the American invasion sector. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeville_battery
I've made regular trips to Normandy over the years with my friend Phil (Phil_M87 on here I think), who runs Normandy War Guide https://www.normandywarguide.com/, so he was there to enjoy this experience with me.
As promised, this ration was completely edible. The biscuits were pretty smashed up, having held their shape until I tried to remove them from the can, at which point they disintegrated.
They were relatively stale, but not foul or bad. I ate all but "approximately" 1 biscuit, which I've kept for future reference. Although they resemble a digestive biscuit the texture and taste were very different. Much less crumbly and not sweet. Although thicker they are a much closer resemblance to MCI crackers, just not salted.
The Cereal disc was a step up from the biscuits. Much sweeter, crumbly and delicious! I ate around a third dry and another third crumbled into boiling water. I have to say, both methods were pretty nice but reconstituted as a porridge would be my preference. I don't have refined enough taste to tell you exactly what the ingredients are without looking this up on Kration, but dry it reminded me very much of a crumbly oat granola bar.
Coffee and Sugar - both perfect! The coffee smelt and tasted great. I can't say I could tell it apart from the more modern instant versions as I tend not to drink instant coffee, but It was a real surprise how good 1940's instant coffee was. I had imagined it would be terrible in comparison, but it wasn't. When I checked it over, it did stain my hand...so I'm guessing there was chicory involved in portions that you don't see today - although I couldn't taste it.
I added 2 sugars and thoroughly enjoyed the drink and setting! It did make me wonder who else might have been before me, drinking US Ration coffee in this spot.
I've saved the best for last. The Candy Coated Peanuts! These were absolutely sealed in time. A very hard candy on top of a plain peanut, and although the ingredients only list "Sugar and Peanuts" I can't imagine there is a whole lot else involved beyond colouring and perhaps a binder. A simple sweet and savoury taste, similar to a modern M&M - these were great! I bit into the first one to check on the colour and deterioration of the nut inside but found it to be the pale colour of a fresh nut. No numbness, no strange after taste - delicious!
I probably ate a third of the packet there and then and since have picked on the odd one here and there to draw out the experience.
There are a few people I have promised to share that experience with, so most the rest of these will be shared out in the next few weeks.
In hindsight, I'm really glad I opened this while I had the time to savour and enjoy it in the correct setting. It was an experience not at all wasted on me at all and one I won't forget any time soon. It was good to enjoy it and reflect on what had happened on the ground we were standing on. I imagine, those peanuts would have been quite the morale booster and reminder of home on a tough day.
Anyway, if anyone wants the original photos or has any questions, ping me a message!
All the best,
Jim