ADMEN - how to effectively ensnare a History teacher!

 

I am a sucker for anything with a vaguely historical label on it. Today I needed to buy some teabags, and once I had seen these there was no other obvious option:

However, once I had sampled a cup of this fine beverage, I then began hankering for that other staple of Arctic explorers and soldiers - the 'hard tack' biscuit.

I've heard before of how durable these biscuits are - see this article for example, and i've heard that there are examples of American Civil War hard tack biscuits still extant in museums!

So, I thought i'd have a go at making my own.  There are various recipes online, ranging from the more obviously historical to ones aimed at parents wanting to entertain their bored kids with something vaguely educational. I decided to go for the former,  as most of the more historical recipes tended to make clear the essentially inedible nature of the biscuits.  This seems to be borne out by the historical evidence. Hard tack biscuits were a staple of both the Royal Navy and the average British soldier for many years, seeing as they were portable, didn't go off and were essentially indestructible! In particular, hard tack biscuits, along with bully beef, are mentioned in virtually all accounts of the average soldier's food in the Great War.

 However, this account from Private Pressey of the Royal Artillery (courtesy of Spartacus Educational)gives a good idea of how far these 'biscuits' were away from the modern hob nob.

'The biscuits are so hard that you had to put them on a firm surface and smash them with a stone or something. I've held one in my hand and hit the sharp corner of a brick wall and only hurt my hand. Sometimes we soaked the smashed fragments in water for several days. Then we would heat and drain, pour condensed milk over a dishful of the stuff and get it down.'

So, in a bored moment this afternoon, I had a go at making my own, and here is the result:

 

Ingredients are essentially flour, water and salt. Cooking instructions: bake in the oven for an hour until rock hard.

 

Eating instructions: either soak them in milk or tea, or just tuck in, although I advise that you make sure you have the number of a dentist to hand.

 

Verdict: not too bad, although I think I added too much salt. My wife tried some and said that she now feels like a shrivelled slug.