First appearance of chocolate

[rationtin440]

I'm trying to find info on the first recorded use, by any nation's military, of sweetened chocolate as part of a soldier's rations. Now I'm assuming that with the technology available, probably not much before WW1 but I do recall reading about european armies in the 19th century having access to sweetened hot chocolate drinks in garrison. This would not be the same as a portable ration of course but I guess even back then they recognized the morale building qualities of good chocolate just as they do now. Anyone's in-put would be appreciated.

[dirtbag]

I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but the USA may have started in 1937.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Sta ... _chocolate

[biscuits brown]

RT check this http://17thdivision.tripod.com/rationso ... e/id5.html

The UK had a tubed metal or cardboard emergency ration, one end with a processed meat product, the other with sweet chocolate or cocoa. Seems to have been general issue by the 1890s. Chocolate, though inferior to Swiss chocolate at the time, which was more popular in the U.K, had been made in England since the 1870s, originally by the Fry's Co.

DB I think the first US Iron Ration from 1907 had chocolate in it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_ratio ... .931922.29

[dirtbag]

Knowing the US Government, the Iron Ration probably wasn't ever issued to the troops, as in between the wars, the Army was cut waaay back, and there wasn't any money for such 'frivolities'...
The D bar was probably the first to be issued in any amount.
Maybe...
We'll never know...
Probably...

[biscuits brown]

U.S emergency "Armour" ration 1907-22

ww1 armor ration.jpg (30.71 KiB) Viewed 8876 times

This is what the baby looked like.

From close study this is what the instruction wrapper says.

U.S ARMY EMERGENCY RATION
CALCULATED TO SUBSIST ONE MAN ONE DAY, MAINTAINING HIS FULL STRENGTH AND VIGOR.
MAY NOT BE OPENED EXCEPT BY ORDER OF AN OFFICER OR IN EXTREMITY.
DIRECTIONS
BREAD AND MEAT COMPONENT MAY BE EATEN DRY OR STIRRED INTO COLD WATER OR ONE CAKE MAY BE BOILED FIVE MINUTES OR LONGER IN THREE PINTS OF WATER AND RESULTING SOUP SEASONED TO TASTE OR ONE CAKE MAY BE BOILED IN ONE PINT OF WATER FOR FIVE MINUTES MAKING A THICK PORRIDGE TO BE EATEN HOT OR COLD. MAY BE SLICED AND FRIED IF BACON OR OTHER FAT IS AVAILABLE.
CHOCOLATE COMPONENT MAY BE EATEN DRY OR MADE INTO LIQUID BY PLACING THE CHOCOLATE IN A TIN CUP HELD IN HOT WATER. AFTER MELTING POUR IN SLOWLY ONE PINT BOILING WATER TO EACH CAKE. IT MAY BE BOILED AFTER MAKING.
PREPARED BY ARMOUR AND COMPANY

From the Q.M. Found website article Rations, An Historical Perspective

Popularly known as the "Armor" or "Iron" ration, was a packaged unit of concentrated food carried by the soldier to sustain life when no other source of subsistance was available.
It consisted of 3 3oz cakes of a processed beef and crushed wheat mixture and 3 1oz chocolate bars. These items were contained in an oval-shaped lacquered can which fitted the soldiers pocket.
At the time of the Armistice (nov 1918) about 2 MILLION rations had been shipped to France.
Manufacture was discontinued after the war, and by 1922, the item was officially eliminated from the ration list.
Some of the emergency rations procured in WW1 were subsequently used by aircraft pilots in Mexican border patrols which suggest the item has some claim to parentage of the modern A.F flight ration

[biscuits brown]

British emergency ration c1900

This is the British Emergency ration Field service from about 1900. It has 4oz of pemmican and 4oz of sweet chocolate or cocoa paste at each end. Note the very modern opening device. Its a Victorian ring-pull can basically

This is the information given on the tin

EMERGENCY RATION (FIELD SERVICE)
This ration is not to be opened except by order of an officer, or in extremity.

It is to be produced at inspections, etc.

The ration is calculated to maintain strength for 30 hours if eaten in small quantities at a time.

To open the package tear off the band in the centre, when two tins will be found-one containing 4ozs of concentrated beef (pemmican) and the other 4ozs of cocoa paste.

Instructions for use are on the lids of the tins

Looking at both these rations, I am surprised just how advanced they are.
And they both have chocolate products as the "dessert" element.

[rationtin440]

Thanks for replies guys! Very cool info and pics. My father-in-law was a B-52 tailgunner back in the day, and he recalled eating pemmican on survival exercises, not his favorite. But like he said, "sometimes when you're starving and there are no 3 day old animal carcasses handy, pemmican is tolerable."

[biscuits brown]

Well RT this was the survival stuff he was probably living on during exercises. This was the SAC survival ration through the early 50s to 1977. Real heavy duty. The original SAC PAC. I think we had a thread on SAC rations somewhere, including frozen dinners/breakfast/lunches for preparation aboard aircraft during missions.

But there's no chocolate man!

[Treesuit]

Ah yes, just lots of fatty pemmican blocks....

[dirtbag]

Ah yes, just lots of fatty pemmican blocks....

Errr, Thats 'Meat-Food product'...
Sorta like Velveeta is 'Cheese-Food Product'...
It looks like food, but....Not really.