History of Photography Fall 2019

The most fascinating fact about the soldier’s diets during the civil war has to be the use of hardtack. Hardtack was used as the main foodstuff because it was inexpensive to reproduce, long-lasting and reasonably nutritious. I find it quite amazing that the soldiers were able to digest this brick of a cracker. I can only imagine how dry and hard it must’ve been to eat.

If I had to choose a food that I can’t live without, I would choose french fries. Although very unhealthy, they are a food that I can’t ever bring myself to hate.

source: https://www.insider.com/best-fast-food-fries-2017-7

The Soldiers had a limited amount of food to eat because they needed food to have an extended shelf life. Although they ate the fruits and vegetables in season, it still wasn’t enough to satisfy their hunger. On top of that, the soldiers had obtained diseases and some even died from unsanitary and raw foods. Hardtack filled their stomach up. I think Hardtack the soldiers ate during the Civil War is very fascinating because of how easy it was to make, with the use of flour, water, and salt, as well as the length of the shelf life. It was a nutritious thick cracker and can be indulged together with hot coffee. The soldiers view coffee as a crucial element to them during the war. Personally I don’t drink coffee, I prefer drinking green tea. The food I can’t live without is shrimp tacos.

What I found most fascinating about a Civil War soldier’s diet is their dependence on coffee. Amusingly, I can personally relate to them because I always feel like I need to have my coffee every morning during my commute to school or in the middle of my morning classes. I know caffeine isn’t good for you of course, but it is definitely addictive. I depend on coffee to get through certain days where I have a lot to do or days when I’m really stressed out and so I feel like I can’t get these things done if I don’t have a cup of coffee on my hand. Just like the soldiers, I also believe coffee helps fuel me and give me that energy I need to get through the day.

What I can’t live without… A caramel latte.

While reading about soldier’s diets during the civil war, I was intrigued by how little food they consumed. Hardtack was a type of biscuit made from unleavened flour, water, and salt, and this was a primary source of food for soldiers during the war due to its incredible shelf life. This does not sound appetizing at all and a soldier’s day during wartime must have been one of great exhaustion. How could they power through the tribulations of battle on such little fuel. If I sit down and study for an hour I feel the need to eat, so i cannot relate to their pain. In addition, I was also interested by how intrigued soldier’s were by coffee, writing about it constantly in their diaries and spending much of their downtime fantasizing about their “delicious cup of black”.

A food item I cannot live without is pasta. I eat pasta every other day and it is my go to order and any restaurant:

An interesting fact during the Civil War that fascinated me was, men soldiers weren’t used to preparing their own food, “was a completely foreign concept.” Soldiers were forced to adjust themselves into a new way of eating. A union soldier, Lawrence VanAlstyne, described what a dinner and breakfast looked like, they were very limited in what each soldier got. Coffee was the only warm thing they had, it kept them warm in the cold days of war. After the first loss of the Union Battle, Sanderson, a member of the sanitary who became concerned with the food preparation and quality for soldiers, proposed training to soldiers of the basics of cooking. After training, the skilled cook would receive a monthly salary of $50.

A food that I cannot live without with is FLAUTAS, aka, tacos dorados!

https://www.cocinavital.mx/recetas/tacos-dorados-papa-salsa-verde/

I find it fascinating how the Union soldiers would get creative when it came to making their coffee to get through their day, as well as finding out that coffee was a major factor of the war rather than everything else. For example, when they the fill the stock with beans or anything they find at their disposition, dump them out and use the grounds to cook the coffee. However, I do find it unfair how they we not fed properly.  Something that I can not live without is Chicken Tenders.

I believe is interesting the way these soldiers were able to be in war with such small portions of food in their stomachs and did not get sick at the time, coffee played a very important role as well, we can all relate.  Today coffee is used for many purposes but I personally use it to stay awake and this is also a reason why soldiers drank coffee, to help fuel their soldiers during war. pasta is something I cant live without, I can eat pasta with anything in it.

During the Civil War and practically any form of battle placed soldiers at critical roles that ended up being a survival game to get through. With those stakes at large sets advanced strategies and techniques that the soldiers themselves had to adapt while living on the battle field. What was interesting to learn about the food intake during the Civil War were the specific techniques that was given to help secure “long lasting” food that should’ve been able to stay at a sustainable degree to eat as a whole. Given that the food in itself was different for both the Unions and the Confederates, they were able to figure out which product was the best to withstand the rough weather and travel conditions that the soldiers went through while in combat. The “hardtack” was very intriguing to learn about due to its 3 basic ingredients of water, flour, and salt being able to harden and prepare to be consumed at any given time for the long run. Though it was susceptible for molding, it’s unique thick hardening product was deemed as a necessity along with other foods to help give back some energy and nutrients to the soldiers. Moreover, the differences in food that the Unions had compared to the Confederates was based on the access they obtain at that moment and the support groups they held with them. The Unions obviously had a better withstand compared to the Confederates because they had a whole Sanitary Organization group behind them in some events.

-With that given, one food that I can’t live without would probably be chicken. It can be utilized into some many dishes and still taste delicious.