Sunday, January 3, 2010

Hardtack

Hi Sallie here,

I just wanted to tell you a little bit of information on hardtack. The definition for hardtack is a saltless hard biscuit, bread, or cracker. This food was for the Union soldiers and johnnie cakes (similar but made from cornmeal) were for the Confederate soldiers.

Some times they dunked the hardtack in coffee because it was hard and it had animals (like maggots and weevils) in it and the coffee would make it soft and kill the animals. It was made out of flour, salt, and water. They were also called molar breakers because the hardtack was hard and starting to mold.

This is what hardtack looks like.

Here is what you use to make hardtack:

2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon of Crisco or vegetable fat
6 pinches of salt

Mix and knead many times. Bake for 30 minutes or less for 400 degrees. Then flip over and wait an another 30 minutes or less. Wait till cooled to enjoy hardtack.


How did I find this research? My friend Sarah has to do a science fair project and she chose to do it on hardtack. Her title is Which Hardtack Will Mold Faster? So, I used her research to create this blog post.

Until next time....

1 comment:

  1. It's interesting to know what soldiers from so long ago had to eat. I don't know if I would call these things tasty, but I suppose if you are hungry, they will do the trick! Food for service members has come A LONG WAY since the Civil War...thankfully :)

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