Military Food From Each Army Around The World
By Carole
2 years ago
1. Poland - Meaty
Image source Alduin HearthA big tick was well deserved for a decent amount of chicken in the casserole with sachets of salt and pepper to taste. Rations included biscuits, honey, tea, coffee and condensed milk as well as raisins (for desert!). A flameless heater ensured food could be served hot and plastic cutlery and moist freshening wipes made the meal quite civilised.2. Russia - Three In One Meal
Image source Alduin HearthGround beef and rice with carrots and peas, meatballs in tomato sauce and beef stew with potatoes was more than sufficient to fill those empty stomachs. Hang on, that's only part of it. Crackers, veggie spread, cheese spread, pate, apple sauce and canned pork fat were all in there. Flavoured drinks and coffee washed the meal down nicely.3. United States - Cold Weather Food
Image source Alduin HearthTo warm up the military guys and gals, an appetising selection of food was provided. It included scrambled eggs (which had been freeze dried) and bacon with a mini bottle of Tabasco, a fig bar, selection of nuts and raisins together with coffee, brown sugar, instant oatmeal and powders to make up cocoa and an orange drink with a plastic spoon. Finally, chewing gum ensured fresh breath for all.4. Norway - Full Day's Grub
Image source Alduin HearthThis field ration included breakfast, lunch and dinner in separate packages - how refined! Whilst cereal, raspberries and jam didn't quite cut it on the breakfast scale, lunch was more impressive with a beef chilli that packed a punch, raisins, chocolate, honey lozenges and coffee. A dinner of chicken in an herb sauce, along with tuna, biscuits and chocolate made for a hearty day's calories. Chewing gum, energy drinks and blackcurrant drinks were provided for each course.5. Ukraine - Basic Rations
Image source Alduin HearthA straightforward meal that filled the gap is all that can be said about this one. The pack included everything for the day, the breakfast being beef, biscuits and buckwheat (does everything start with a 'b'?) Lunch was a large portion of beef stew with pearl barley and evening meal consisted of canned fish in tomato sauce followed by biscuits, pate and iced tea.6. United States - Watch Out Taco Bell!
Image source Alduin HearthAfter mixing beef and black beans in a tortilla and adding jalapeno cheese spread, burrito style, this army meal was as good as a take-out from the local Taco Bell! Also In the pack was apple pieces in spiced sauce, a chocolate banana nut muffin top, beef jerky, peanut butter and coffee. Sounds pretty good to me.7. Germany - Ton Of Food
Image source Alduin HearthDespite being in a flimsy box, there was enough food in there to feed an army!! Sounds like a shopping list but inside there was pea stew with sausage, meatballs with veg, rice and a sausage spread. Fruit muesli, bread and butter with jam, cereal bar and hazelnut pudding were all for afters and then washed down with tea coffee, four powdered drinks, sugar, salt, creamer, Minty gum and wet wipes were included.8. Britain- Bland
Image source Alduin HearthShame that the food was nothing to write home about. Vegetarian pasta with beans and tomato sauce along with a tomato pasta salad wasn't the most inventive of meals and didn't taste of much. Muesli with milk, 4 powdered drinks, coffee, tea, peanut butter, strawberry jam, hazelnut spread, cranberry cereal bar, 2 cookies and cream cereal bars salted peanuts, boiled sweets, a tiny bottle of Tabasco made up the rations with the usual salt, sugar, creamer, a spork, napkins, antibacterial wipes, tissues, gum, and matches.9. United States - Tastes Like Chicken OR Beef
Image source Alduin HearthOne of the menus for the US Army (referred to as menu 21) was not up to scratch. Beef and chicken meatballs in marinara sauce, although tasting good, could not be differentiated from each other. Tortillas, lemon poppy seed pound cake, strawberry dairy shake powder, raspberry drink powder, a ration heater, salt and pepper, tissues, a moist towelette, gum, and a spoon were also in the pack.10. Croatia - Not Bad On The 'Great To Terrible' Scale
Image source Alduin HearthThe Croatian individual combat ration included two types of biscuits, can of beans with pork, turkey meat, beef soup, pate and canned sardine. Not very imaginative but tasted ok. Dried papaya and pineapple, coffee flavoured sweets, an orange drink, lemon tea and chocolate completed the day's intake. A quick freshen up with the wet wipes and they were all good to go.11. United States - Perfect For Camping Trip
Image source Alduin HearthThis 24 hour ration (menu 28) included French toast, pepperoni sandwich, beef jerky, wheat bread, apple sauce 2 chocolate energy bars and peanut butter dessert bar. Included was a fruit and nut mix, bacon and cheese sandwich, jalapeno cheese spread and hot sauce. The snack box contained caffeinated gum, to keep them awake, a spoon and hand sanitizer.12. France - Fine Dining
Image source Alduin HearthWe know the French are famous for their food and the MRE didn't disappoint. There was a lot of stuff in there - biscuits, pâté, terrine, tomato soup, braised ham, sausage pasta, rice pudding, strawberry muesli, nougat, caramels, dark chocolate and pear and apple fruit snacks. There was also coffee, a little stove with flame tabs and a picture of the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower on the box!13. Italy - Biggest Box
Image source Alduin HearthThe ration box was something to be admired with its array of goodies. This one includes biscuits, orange and cherry jam, milk, instant coffee, chocolate, tortellini in meat sauce, canned beef, crackers, fruit salad, soup, tuna in olive oil, crackers, cereal bars and fruit. There was plastic cutlery, napkins, matches, a camp stove and for oral hygiene, a disposable toothbrush.14. Lithuania - Tastleless
Image source Alduin HearthThis Lithuanian Army field ration including a cherry-flavoured instant drink, chicken broth, chicken and rice, chocolate, biscuits, sugar, hazelnuts, honey as well as heating tables, matches, a foldable stove, wet wipes and a spoon. Surely, more effort could have been made!15. Kazakhstan - Chunky
Image source Alduin HearthThe Kazakh pack included all three meals for the day in one large bag with three perforated sections. There was buckwheat porridge with meat (is that a thing?) and biscuits. Lunch was a beef stew with HUGE chunks of beef, a real and rare treat. There was also vegetable stew for dinner, jam and bread and tea to wash it down.16. Japan - Small Portions
Image source The GuardianThe Japanese Army combat ration was sparser than the others but so delicious! The ration packs often have heating mechanisms to allow soldiers to heat or cook their food before eating. The two packs of rice come with a sautéed pork dish with ginger, and plenty of packets of dry 'Furikake' seasoning to flavour the rice. Boiling water from the kettle allows the food to swell up and smell great.
17. Estonia - Sprats
Image source The GuardianSmoked sprats are 'a thing' in this country and the soldiers love them. Their ration box included a good sized portion of these along with stuffed peppers, chicken liver pate and liver sausage with potatoes. There was a pack of crispbreads alongside the food, together with halva with vanilla, muesli, a fruit pocket and honey.18. Australia - Love It Or Loathe It
Image source The GuardianThe Aussies are big fans of vegemite and this is nearly always included in their boxes. There were jam sandwich biscuits and processed cheddar cheese in there as well as meatballs and chilli tuna pasta. Condensed milk and chocolate completed the day's rations.
19. Denmark - Morning Meal
Image source The GuardianVery posh, this included Earl Grey tea, mini bottle of Tabasco and beans and bacon in tomato sauce. To follow there were some oat biscuits and a packet of Rowntree's Tooty Frooties! A flameless heater was provided for a hot breakfast and wet wipes to clean those hands and faces afterwards.
20. France
Image source The Guardian21. Canada
Baked beans was the focal point of this MRE, but there was also also banana flavoured oatmeal, apple slices, bread, peanut butter, strawberry jam, 2 instant coffees, orange drinks, hot chocolate, creamer, sugar, ketchup, matches, napkins, wet wipes, a toothpick, gum and a spoon. There was even one Werther's Original hard sweet!
22. China - Couldn't Be Simpler
China's MRE kept things as simple as they possibly could with sausage, sticky rice, hot sauce (of course), sliced pineapple and cake. They were supplied with 4 powdered juice drinks and there was a spoon and napkins. Not sure they were getting the national average calories here!23. Spain - Lunch Is Served
A chunky vegetable soup, heated up on the foldable stove, meant lunch was ready. There was beef with peas, white tuna in vegetable oil and pate. Canned fruit cocktail cleansed the palette along with a caffeinated drink powder and any tuna odours on the palms were removed with hand sanitizer.24. Singapore - Oodles Of Noodles
Image source AsiaOneThe food in the Singapore Army combat ration wouldn’t be out of place on a restaurant menu. The halal meals consist of Mongolian fried noodles, chicken masala rice and a dessert of peanuts and lotus root. Each ration pack is intended to last 24 hours and the thought of fried rice and hot noodles in the field makes the day worthwhile.25. Poland - Evening Meal
Image source The GuardianAfter a good breakfast and a large lunch, the meal at the end of the day consists of chicken casserole which was brimming with 'chunky chunks' and not chicken shreds that other countries endure. Biscuits, honey and jam follow this alongside tea, coffee, condensed milk, raisins and chewing gum.26. Spain - Big On Vitamins
Image source The GuardianAnother of Spain's ration meals include cans of ham with green beans, pate and squid in vegetable oil. There's powdered vegetable soup and crackers to dip in and dessert is peaches in syrup and condensed milk. There's a disposable heater, matches and fuel tabs. Importantly, lots of tablets are included, vitamin c, glucose, rehydration and water purification.27. Italy - Alcohol?
Image source The GuardianHave you heard of a ration box such as this before? There's a breakfast shot of 40 % alcohol cordiale (honestly), a powdered cappuccino, lots of biscotti biscuits , pasta and bean soup along with canned turkey and rice salad. Dessert is a power sport bar, canned fruit salad or a muesli chocolate bar. A disposable camping stove does the of heating the food up.28. United Kingdom - Curry Night
Image source The GuardianThe British rations are packed with familiar English treats including Typhoo tea, a mini bottle of Tabasco and a little can of Kenco coffee. There will also be something like a chicken tikka masala, a massive favourite amongst the soldiers. Whereas the American military like to chew gum, it has to be Polos for the British!
29. United States - Ready Prepared
Image source The Guardian
Most ratio meals would be freeze dried and/or tinned but a real treat for the American military is when food looks like food! An example would be pork ribs, BBQ sauce, tortillas, potato cheddar soup, jam and peanut butter, Skittles, nut and raisin mix, hot and cold drinks and matches to light the disposable stove. Of course, the obligatory gum is in there as well as the essential .... toilet paper!
30. Dutch Army - Emergency Rations
Image source The GuardianThe Dutch military provide good quality 24 hour ration boxes but during times of war, they supply an emergency ration which includes dry blocks of survival bars, two packets of biscuits, meat spread, cheese spread, tuna spread and jam. This has been designed purely to give the soldiers energy and is not a nutritional pack. What To Read Next
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