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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:02 pm

What did the men of the 24th (and others, serving in the area during the same time) have to eat? What was on the menu?

Barbara

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:40 pm

Hi Barbara,

In the field mealtimes were nothing special but the men tried their best to make things that little more exciting. From memory (I apologise as my books are either at home or waiting to be unpacked at my Student digs) I recall that hard biscuit was eaten, hardtack is what I hear friends in the US and Civil War re-enactors call it, as well as bully (tinned or corned) beef. Oxen were kept for slaughter when the time came but the dogs often refused to eat the meat.

Pumpkins were collected and made into soups or pies, espeically during the siege of Eshowe. Officers often received luxuries from relatives, one of the items auctioned off at Eshowe was a tin of lobster meat! Tinned fish and the like were to be found with those volunteers who could afford them. Goats and chickens could be found at Zulu homesteads and were of course highly prized dishes. Wood had his own column bakery, a famous photograph exists of the fruits of their labours. When there were no vegetables, lime juice was issued for what nutrition it offered. Troops carried salt and pepper, tea and coffee depending on what they harboured on their travels.

I seem to recall Wood and his officers having very refined tastes, with champagne and game on the menu!

I'm sure others can 'chip' in with more detailed examples. Razz

Cheers,

Glenn.

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:48 pm

At the risk of being thought prolix, I offer the following from General Order No. 221, dated 12th December 1878, Times of Natal, 13th December 1878:

"The following receipts, the ingredients of which are proportional for messes of 22 men each, if carefully prepared, afford a variety of dishes in palatable form:�
MEAT PIE. Ingredients,� 16� lb. of meat, 5lb. suet, 1lb. of onions, 2 oz. Of slat, 2 oz. Of pepper. Mode,� Make the paste, cut up and stew the onions with any jelly from the meat added, cut the meat in dice, place it in a baking dish, add the cooked onions, season with pepper and salt, cover with a light crust, and bake in a quick oven for 20 minutes.
STEW. Ingredients,� 16 � lb. of meat, 2lb. of carrots and other vegetables, 1 lb. of onions, 2 oz. Of salt and 1 oz. of pepper. Mode,� Cut up the vegetables and onions, which place in the boiler with sufficient water to cover them, add some jelly from the meat, well season with pepper and salt, and stew gently, keeping the lid of the boiler closely shut till the vegetables are tender, then add the meat; let the whole simmer for ten minutes and serve.
CURRIED STEW. Ingredients.� The same as for stew, with 1 oz. of curry powder, and 1 lb. of flour added. Mode,� Prepare as for stew, mix the curry and flour with cold water into a smooth batter, and add it to the stewed vegetables with the meat; let the whole simmer for 10 minutes and serve.
SEA PIE. Ingredients.� The same as for stew, with 5 lbs. of flour and 1� pounds of suet or dripping added. Mode.� Make the paste, preparing cooked vegetables and onions as for stew; when the vegetables are tender add the meat, cover the whole over with a light paste, and boil or steam for 20 minutes. A thickening of flour is an improvement. The most suitable vessel in which to make this dish is a Warren�s Cooker.
TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE. Ingredients.� 16 lbs. of meat, 5 lbs. of flour, 1 lb. of suet or dripping, 6 eggs, or equivalent in egg powder, or 1 pint of ale. Mode.� Cut up and cook the onions, prepare the batter with eggs and milk if possible, if not, with beer and water, season it with half the pepper and salt; grease the inside of a baking dish, pour into it half the batter and place it in the oven; when the batter sets place on it the meat, cut up, and the cooked onions; season with the remainder of the pepper and salt, pour the remainder of the batter into the dish so that it just covers the meat, and bake from 15 to 20 minutes in a quick oven.
POTATOE PIE. Ingredients.� 16� pounds of meat, 20 lbs. of potatoes, 1 lb. of onions, 3 oz. of salt, and � oz. of pepper. Mode.� Cut up and stew the onions with jelly from the meat added, boil or steam the potatoes, and mash them, Grease the inside of a baking dish, line the sides with a portion of the mashed potatoes, place the meat and cooked onions in the centre, season with pepper and salt, cover over with the remainder of the mashed potatoes, and bake until the potato cover is brown. As the mashed potatoes absorb the moisture of the meat and render it dry, about 2 pts. of gravy prepared from the liquor in which the onions were cooked should be poured into the pie after it is taken out of the oven.
HUNTERS� PIE is prepared in a similar manner to the Potatoe [sic] Pie, but the top is left uncovered. Both these pies should be baked in a quick oven."

KIS

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:14 am

On the 18th October 1878, William Seymour (my Great Uncle, 80th Staffs. seconded to the IMI), wrote home as follows: "We had nothing but chicken corn ground into flour what they call here Mealie Mealie the kaffir call it Ya-tim-po-pu, they feed pigs on it at home and here we are going to get it, they give you 2lbs a day and 1 ounce of sugar and you make it in a big Pot and a dozen get all round and eat it out. I could tell you more but I afraid you would fret yourself about me".

JK

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:18 am

John

Fancy turning up his nose at a nice, friendly fondue party!

P.

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:58 pm

Peter E.
I presume that William was explaining his breakfast as "Scots Porridge Oats" rather than his supper, which could be alluded to above. Even I would be hard pressed to have a fondue in the morning!
Regards
JK

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:26 am

Thank you all for your replies and Keith for the recipes; I admit I wouldn't try them at home.

I must ask--is "Toad in the Hole" a particularly English dish?

Barbara

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:32 am

Hello ,

Thankfully it does not involve the use of toads - it is a dish of sausages in a Yorkshire pudding mix , usually with gravy on .

Gary.

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:35 pm

Barbara

Are you serious about not wanting to try all those recipes posted by Keith? I can think of nothing more mouth-watering and I'm sure there are many of us licking our lips. Surely not only on this side of the pond, though? (I'm certain even Keith experiences a pang of nostalgia ...)

Yes, toad in the hole is a very traditional English dish. You don't know what you're missing! Smile

Sadly, I don't think the troops saw much of the fare on that list very often on campaign in 1879.

Peter

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:02 pm

hmmm..perhaps some bubble and squeak on campaign, eh???? Cool

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:42 pm

Peter,

I should have been more clear. It wasn't that the recipes provided by Keith appeared unappetizing; it was that they called for 16 1/2 lbs of meat and were meant for about two dozen men! Other than that, they do seem worth trying (in smaller portions.)

Barbara

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:22 pm

Barbara

Ah, I see! Yes, trying to cook those quantities at home might raise some problems! Thanks for putting me right.

Now, just a thought coming on. Why not divide the quantities provided above by whatever figure you think would produce a more manageable challenge, and cook the dish of your choice selected from the above - for yourself, or family, or for entertaining? Then let us know what you think of the result? And just when your family or friends think you've taken leave of your senses, your response should be something along the lines of: "Come on now, eat up! This is exactly what Tommy Atkins devoured while on campaign in South Africa in 1879 - or would like to have had the chance."

I can see toad in the hole catching on all over California! (Followed by apple crumble & custard, my favourite!)

Peter

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:05 pm

Peter,

Not a bad idea, trying some of these recipes myself. I wonder what I would use for the suet? Lard is unappealing.

I'll let you folks know if I do try one of them.

Barbara

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:06 pm

Barbara

I had not realised the difficulty in obtaining suet but have just looked this up and it seems there certainly would be problems, as modern dehydrated suet is not necessarily compatible with the recipes above. Pity. What sort of suet made those delicious suet puddings and steak & kidney puddings of my childhood, then? Dehydrated? I can still visualise the red & blue packet of Atora on my mother's larder shelf, so I suppose dehydrated (& mixed with flour) is the answer to that one. Still, the alternative ingredient quoted above is dripping - both delicious and suitable, so no problem. Or just ignore the ones containing suet - I've no doubt the pies and stews are similar to American ones anyway, so why not just choose toad in the hole?

I can see the fad racing across LA & San Francisco right now. Get it right and you could make a million. Once your family & friends are convinced there will be no stopping you. No latter-day squeamishness or political correctness from your SW USA consumers must be tolerated - just a yearning for good old fashioned, traditional, thick, English gravy & all the trimmings. How will you market it? "Good old John Bull - with a bit of guts behind it!" Or "Toad in the Hole - as the Limey Redcoats knew it!" Perhaps the US Army will buy you out and refashion the ration supplies of their soldiers on campaign? I'm not sure how toad in the hole can be fitted into a modern ration pack but they've put men on the moon so it's not rocket science (well, the moon landings were, but hardly toad in the hole).

When you've made your first million, remember who had the idea. Ten per cent would be acceptable.

As you probably know, in the 4th Column up in the NW of Zululand, Col Evelyn Wood ensured his men had freshly baked bread every day, which sounds very enterprising but somehow lacks the excitement of the recipes Keith posted, especially toad in the hole.

Peter

P.S. Emphatically no chips (or "fries", as you call them) with any of those recipes, mind you! We don't want them ruined. Smile

Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:05 pm

Peter,

Your entrepreneurial creativity is stunning, to say the least! Let me give an idea back--what I never found "over there" was Mexican food. Last time I visited, in '02, I saw something purporting to be a "Texas" restaurant with chili and the like, but not the Mexican favorites Americans are used to, simple stuff like tacos, enchiladas, and tostadas. Someone who does this well might really make a killing!

As to "toad-in-the-hole" garywilson, above, says "sausages" while Keith's recipe merely says "meat." Are sausages particularly associated with this dish, or can it be any red meat?

Barbara