A Recipe Lost in Wartime, Recovered From Memory (2024)

FAQs

What meals would people make from their rations? ›

Supplies such as gasoline, butter, sugar and canned milk were rationed because they needed to be diverted to the war effort. War also disrupted trade, limiting the availability of some goods.

Every American was issued a series of ration books during the war. The ration books contained removable stamps good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. A person could not buy a rationed item without also giving the grocer the right ration stamp.

Ration books worked on a coupon system, so people could only purchase their entitlement and no more. A typical person's weekly ration allowed them 1 egg, 2 ounces each of tea and butter, an ounce of cheese, eight ounces of sugar, four ounces of bacon and four ounces of margarine.

Meat (March 1940) was first, followed by fat and eggs, cheese, tinned tomatoes, rice, peas, canned fruit and breakfast cereals. Remember this was a world where even in the pre-war days of plenty, olive oil was sold as a medical aid and dried pasta was confined to a few Italian shops.

Rationed Foods. The categories of rationed foods during the war were sugar, coffee, processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.), meats and canned fish, and cheese, canned milk, and fats.

A: Millions of ration books were issued during World War II. They were intended to prevent the hoarding of such goods as coffee, sugar, meat and other items in short supply due to the war. Ration books generally sell in the $5 to $25 range, but unlike savings bonds, you can't cash them in as you wish.

By mid-1942 most foodstuffs were rationed, except fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and bread. Other scarce commodities were rationed too, such as clothing, shoes, fuel, and soap.

A number of other items, such as tinned goods, dried fruit, cereals and biscuits, were rationed using a points system. The number of points allocated changed according to availability and consumer demand. Priority allowances of milk and eggs were given to those most in need, including children and expectant mothers.

Standard German rations for SS units in the field consisted of a four-day supply: about 25 ounces of Graubrot (gray rye bread); 6-10 ounces of Fleisch (canned meat) or Wurst (canned sausage); some five ounces of vegetables; a half ounce of butter, margarine, jam, or hazelnut paste; either real or ersatz coffee; five ...

Was gasoline rationed during ww2? ›

By December of 1942, rubber and gasoline were added to the list of rationed items. The OPA issued stickers, which were placed on your windshield, to determine how much gasoline you were entitled to. The “A” sticker was the most common and entitled you to four gallons a week.

The “A” sticker was aimed at nonessential driving and was good for three gallons a week to be used for essential shopping and other uses. The “B” sticker gave the driver enough gas to commute to work. “C” was for persons whose cars were essential to their livelihood, such salesmen.

The first procurement of K-rations was made in May 1942. Some believed the K-ration was named after Dr. Keys or was short for "Commando" (as elite troops were the first to receive it). However, the letter "K" was selected because it was phonetically distinct from other letter-name rations.

These MCI rations were used until 1978, when they were replaced with the MRE or Meal Ready-to-Eat ration, which is still used today.

Sweet rationing began during the dark days of World War Two on 26 July 1942 when people had a weekly ration of just 2 ounces of sweets or chocolate. A month later the ration was doubled for eight weeks and then cut back to 3 ounces a week.

Most soldiers were just happy to get food, even if it was the same thing, again and again. The most common food given to soldiers was bread, coffee, and salt pork. The typical ration for every Union soldier was about a pound of meat and a pound of bread or flour.

The A-ration (officially Field Ration, Type A) is a United States military ration consisting of fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods. A-rations may be served in dining facilities, prepared in the field using field kitchens, or prepared at a fixed facility and transported to field locations in containers.

What Did People Eat During WW2? Porridge for breakfast, lots of fruits and vegetables for lunch and supper, less meat and less sugar are just a few of elements which characterised a typical Second World War diet.

This group ration included a breakfast of cereals, biscuits and jam, milk, sugar and coffee. The supper consisted of canned meat, canned vegetables, biscuits and butter, and a beverage, like coffee, fruit juice powder, or cocoa. A dessert in the form of hard candy, chocolate bar or a fruit bar was included.