This compendium of US Army cooking manuals features recipes, camp cooking tips, and more from the Revolutionary War to WWI. This collection of excerpts from US Army cooking manuals illustrates how America fed its troops from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth, offering a glimpse of what daily life was like for those preparing and consuming the rations. With an introduction explaining the historical background, this is a fascinating and fun exploration of American army cooking, with a dash of inspiration for feeding your own army! Beginning with a manual from 1775, you will learn how the Continental Congress kept its Patriot forces fed. A manual from 1896 prepares Army cooks for any eventuality—whether in the garrison, in the field, or on the march—with instructions on everything from butchery and preserving meat to organizing food service and cleaning utensils. Along with classic American fare such as chowder, hash, and pancakes, it also includes recipes for Crimean kebabs, Turkish pilau, and tamales. In contrast, a 1916 manual offers a detailed consideration of nutrition and what must be one of the first calorie counters. Instructions are given on how to assemble a field range in a trench or on a train. Among the more unusual recipes are head cheese—meat stew made from scraps—and pickled pigsfeet. Later manuals produced during WWI include baking recipes for breads and cakes, as well as how to cook dehydrated products. “Culinary and military historians will equally find this a valuable resource.” —Booklist

A milestone in Army doctrine

“You are about to play a personal part in pushing the Germans out of France. Whatever part you take—rifleman, hospital orderly, mechanic, pilot, clerk, gunner, truck driver—you will be an essential factor in a great effort.” As American soldiers fanned out from their beachhead in Normandy in June of 1944 and began the liberation of France, every soldier carried that reminder in his kit. A compact trove of knowledge and reassurance, Instructions for American Servicemen in France during World War II was issued to soldiers just before they embarked for France to help them understand both why they were going and what they’d find when they got there. After lying unseen in Army archives for decades, this remarkable guide is now available in a new facsimile edition that reproduces the full text and illustrations of the original along with a new introduction by Rick Atkinson setting the book in context. Written in a straightforward, personal tone, the pamphlet is equal parts guidebook, cultural snapshot, and propaganda piece. A central aim is to dispel any prejudices American soldiers may have about the French—especially relating to their quick capitulation in 1940. Warning soldiers that the defeat “is a raw spot which the Nazis have been riding” since the occupation began, Instructions is careful to highlight France’s long historical role as a major U.S. ally. Following that is a brief, fascinating sketch of the French character (“The French are mentally quick;” “Rich or poor, they are economical”) and stark reminders of the deprivation the French have endured under occupation. Yet an air of reassuring confidence pervades the final section of the pamphlet, which reads like a straightforward tourists’ guide to Paris and the provinces—like a promise of better days to come once the soldiers complete their mission. Written by anonymous War Department staffers to meet the urgent needs of the moment, with no thought of its historical value, Instructionsfor American Servicemen in France during World War II nevertheless brings to vivid life the closing years of World War II—when optimism was growing, but a long, demanding road still lay ahead.

Godey's Lady's Book, perhaps the most popular magazine for women in nineteenth-century America, had a national circulation of 150,000 during the 1860s. The recipes (spelled ""receipts"") it published were often submitted by women from both the North and the South, and they reveal the wide variety of regional cooking that characterized American culture. There is a remarkable diversity in the recipes, thanks to the largely rural readership of Godey's Lady's Book and to the immigrant influence on the country in the 1860s. Fish and game were readily available in rural America, and the number of seafood recipes testifies to the abundance of the coastal waters and rivers. The country cook was a frugal cook, particularly during wartime, so there are a great many recipes for leftovers and seasonal produce. In addition to a wide sampling of recipes that can be used today, Civil War Recipes includes information on Union and Confederate army rations, cooking on both homefronts, and substitutions used during the war by southern cooks.