This one came straight from onepamop in Moscow. I didn't have a translator available, nor was I able to find a translated contents list for this one, so I apologize that I don't know the exact titles of the components. Anyone who does know, please feel free to comment or correct me as needed.
- Packaging
I took out all of contents and did a quick inventory.
- Contents
- Entrees
The middle entree was rice with vegetables and meat. I'm not sure exactly what kind of meat, but one thing I am sure about is that I really enjoyed this entree. It was well seasoned, and very flavorful. The only "ding" I'll give it is that it was a little bit greasy, but was my favorite part of this ration. I had only planned on sampling a little of each item since I was reviewing a 24-hour ration in one sitting, but I ended up eating all of this entree
I would almost compare it to a "Rice a Roni" type of dish, but with more meat. I loved it. The entree on the right was beef. It was seasoned / salted fine, but the quality of the beef wasn't very good. It was quite greasy as well. The flavor was OK, but the other two entrees were much better.
Now for the side dishes and spreads:
- Sides
On a side note. . . with many rations, it seems like the crackers are the first to go bad, due to the simple packaging. I'm a little surprised that more rations (IRPs, RCIRs, etc) aren't using a retort pouch packaging like the US MREs instead of the commercially packaged crackers / biscuits. Maybe it's a cost thing, but it would greatly increase shelf life. Any, I digress, back to the review. . .
The cheese spread was good. Mild and with a good texture. It was pleasant. I ended up having all of it.
The liver pate was OK. I'm not a big liver pate person, so I'm not a good one to give an unbiased opinion of any pate
It did spread well and wasn't too dense. The meat / sausage pate was good. Seasoned well, and not too dense. It had a flavor that I found kind of a cross between Spam and potted meat.
The fruit spread was quite good. I'm not sure what all types of fruit it contained, but it had a dominant apple flavor. The texture was just about perfect. You could spread it from the pouch, and it wasn't runny like the MRE jams / jellies. It would stay on the cracker when tilted to the side, and didn't run through the holes in the crackers. The taste was very good, not too sweet, but with good flavor.
There was a spread that looked a lot like pureed yams, and tasted a little like it. It was pretty mild, but was a little bit gritty. It wasn't bad, but it was down towards the bottom of my list when it came to these sides.
There was an apple puree / applesauce that was very good. It wasn't too sweet, and had good texture.
The pork fat spread I had read about in previous posts here in the forums, and was anxious to try for myself. As long as you can get past the appearance, it is actually quite good. It has a pleasant salty mild flavor. The first bite has you wondering "what the heck?" for a minute if you're not used to this sort of food, but it didn't take but a few seconds to want some more.
The chocolate was a darker chocolate, which makes sense for a ration since it has better heat resistance. It was very good.
The Dirol gum was different. I expected sticks of gum based on the shape of the pack, and was surprised to find the "Chiclet" style inside. The pack had a picture of a lime slice and what looked like spearmint leaves. The flavor was a little strange to me for a minute, but I found myself really enjoying it, and am chewing a piece as I type this. It seems to be just that, lime and spearmint. It's kind of addictive.
The IRPs contain a vitamin tablet, which is meant to be taken with breakfast. I took it out of it's package for a photo, but didn't take it. Not really much you can review on a vitamin tablet anyway
All of these entrees and sides got me thirsty. On to the drinks!. . . .
- Drinks
The middle beverage was the tea. I don't drink much of a variety of teas, so I'm a horrible judge of teas. My usual is Typhoo, but I found this tea to be good. It didn't have quite the full body of Typhoo or other similar tea, but it had good flavor, and would be a welcome accompaniment to a meal.
The beverage on the right is the instant coffee. It kind of surprised me. For an instant coffee, it was pretty good. It was very similar in taste to some of the major instant coffee brands here in the US. It would be a welcome beverage on a cold morning, and had good aroma and a smooth flavor.
So, all-in-all, it was a pretty good ration pack, and contains a decent amount of food. I think some of the other 24-hr ration packs like the ePA, RCIR, and British ration packs do a better job with supplying snack items that are easy to eat when on-the-move, but overall, this IRP was pretty good.
- Plated on Mess Tray
- Prepared Food with Beverages
