Civil War Food
Types of Foods Ate during the Civil War
Hardtack
In 1861 hardtack was invented. Hardtack was the Union soldiers’ main source of food because it was cheap to make, easy to transport, and lasted a long time. Today, we still have hardtack that was made during the Civil War! It was extremely hard because it was baked in northern factories and stored in warehouses before it was finally shipped to soldiers on the battlefields. It was so hard many soldiers broke their teeth trying to eat it! Some of the nicknames soldiers had for hardtack were teeth-dullers, sheet-iron crackers, flour tile, ship’s biscuit and hard bread. They also called it worm castles because there were often weevils and maggots in the crackers. To eat this hard bread, soldiers often broke it up with a rock or rifle butt and softened it by putting it in their coffee or heating it in grease. They had a favorite dish called Skillygallee, which was fried pork fat with crumbled hardtack.
Pig
Men would sit around the pig and watch it cook. They would only eat the fat and give the intestines and feet to the slaves. Still today people eat the pig's feet and the intestines called chitlins or chitterlings.
Beef Jerky
Beef Jerky is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then dried to prevent spoilage.
It was easy to make during the Civil War time. Most Northern would eat beef jerky.
Oatmeal Pie
This is a Civil War pie. When people couldn't get pecans, they used oatmeal instead. This recipe is from a lady in Northern Kentucky.
Corn Bread
Cornbread can be traced back to when the European settlers came in contact with the Indians when they first arrived in America. Since the white settlers were dependent on the natural resources, they too, adopted the practice of making corn bread. A rush in popularity around Civil War time was inevitable as corn was plentiful and cheap. Corn bread and other meals made from corn were easy to. Most Confederate soldiers would eat corn bread since its easier to plant down south.