French 2004 #6

[housil]

I´m rotating my French rations, so I tried how a 11 years old one taste.

without pork

Lamb stew with French beans & poultry with spring vegetables

I started with poultry creme soup

Give the "powder" in a bowl and add hot water

It had a very nice, "creme" poultry taste. I liked it. Not bad 11 years old taste

The first entree

Lamb stew with French beans

no bad smell after opening the can

Either you like the taste of lamb or you don´t

but the entree wasn´t spoiled and I finished it.

The dessert

a "pudding"

A very rich caramel/vanilla flavor

also not bad after 11 years
but too rich to me

[housil]

So the next day, I ate the second entree

Poultry with spring vegetables

Also no bad smell after opening

A nice poultry taste with big chunks and the vegetables weren´t "slushy" with still a nice texture

Todays "dessert"

Fish in mustard sauce

I´m not a canned-fish-guy and that one looked "weird"

but the taste was great and I would eat more often!

Now the chocolate, with 43%

The chocolate had a "mint" taste like these "After Eight" that I don´t like

That white "coating" is just fat and no problem nor a sign of spoil

The to me very best out of a French ration

these caramel candies. They have the most best taste and were still soft

[housil]

And a typical French thing is "cafe au laite"

So the breakfast pouch has

Milk, cocoa, 3 x coffee and 2 x sugar

In US MREs, the coffee is usually molded after that long time storage

Some hot water

Et voila - cafe au laite



But there are also bad news after 11 years...

As soon as I opened the crackers, I smelled that rancid smell

They became rancid

That bar

the nut´s also became rancid

But that were the only two things I had to dump. not bad - eh

[Auxiliaryjohn]

Very nice review. Maybe I'll find some French rats on the Bay one day, Thanks housil!!

[Norton]

Great review Housil

The main course of Poultry with spring vegetables has a nice color for after all these years. The carrots look bright orange and fresh. The French coffee looks so good, I want a cup right no w. I like lamb, but that entree does not look appetizing as the Chicken.
But give France credit, they are the only nation that has the lamb on the field ration menu (that I know of) .
Still would like to try it

The wrapping on the crackers looks very thin just like civilian cellophane. Maybe that's why they did not last as long as other crackers found in field meals. The Nut bars are interesting, also looked like a civilian wrapper from the store. Rather than the thick tight vacuum sealed wrapper on 1980's/90's U.S. MRE bars. I wonder if these bars were sealed the same way they would have lasted longer

[MakingPeopleCrazy]

Very good review Housil, can't wait until I get my own French rations

[housil]

also looked like a civilian wrapper from the store.

Actually, everything from the French rations has an "ordinary" wrapping. There is nothing special Military like with MREs and their e.g. oxygen absorbers.

[Vlaanderen]

Another very interesting review from our friend Housil, many thanks.

I recently purchased a good number of various menu French rat packs from a large militaria show last month, bought as trying to obtain British rat packs at the moment is getting very difficult, i.e., availability and most of all price.

My "season" on the "show" circuit, also my "wild", "lone" camping will be starting very soon.

I will do a review on the contents of my latest purchases, then another review when used when out in the field.

Regards, Norman.

[Apocalypse]

The Canadian IMP Navarin is also lamb. Delicious (if you like lamb), although not as good as the France lamb.

[steve1989]

That was a really intriguing and detailed review! Thank you, Housil! I think it's pretty amazing how well the entrees held up too.

I love lamb, so that looked pretty good considering my bias, and the poultry with spring vegetables looks like a nice and simple cafeteria comfort food.

The French Chocolate and Caramels look like some nice & simple sweets to enjoy in the field, I've had 1 French RCIR and I can say those Caramels are truly delicious.

Those crackers don't seem to hold up, and I'm sure that muesli bar got pretty good and stale. With the nuts in that muesli, it was stale & rancid.. bad combo! I remember the crackers from mine smelled bleachy and rancid. And mine had a 2010 production!

Awesome review, thank you!