The Eat Of Battle

An army marches on its stomach but what do different countries feed their troops? These photos of the ration packs provided to soldiers in war zones tell the story. As expected the French put on an almost decent spread.

A streamlined but sophisticated French ration pack offers soldiers
deer pâté, cassoulet with duck confit, creole-style pork and a crème
chocolate pudding. There is also a disposable heater, some coffee
and flavoured drink powder, muesli for breakfast and a little
Dupont d'Isigny caramel.

The offerings in the Singapore pack were sparse despite its reputation
for high-quality cuisine. There were a paltry three dishes,
of Szechuan chicken noodles; a mushroom, basil, rice and chicken dish;
and soya milk with red-bean dessert.
*There is an additional accessory pack as well

While there are Bear Paws snacks in the Canadian ration pack,
there's the shocking omission of maple syrup.
You have the choice of salmon fillet with Tuscan sauce or vegetarian couscous
for the main meal. There is also the makings of a peanut butter and
jelly (raspberry jam) sandwich for breakfast.

Photographs: Sarah Lee and David Levene for the Guardian
More: The Guardian

Thanks Bruce!