Revisiting Rations Part 1: Human/Generic

Revisiting Rations Part 1:  Human (Generic)

User wats6831 on Reddit came up with an ingenious idea.  They created a bunch of different rations for various RPG races, cooked them up, and then posted them on Reddit.  This was genuinely a stroke of genius and something that I had been looking to do for a while.

They stated that the goal was to do something like a meal on the go that would last for a few days.  This was an admirable attempt, but many of the ingredients used were things that I wouldn't trust even a little bit to keep fresh on a trail without refrigeration.  Therefore, I decided that I might as well dust off my much-neglected blog and try my own hand.  Besides, I've been working on a lot of historical/fantasy period cooking and just haven't gotten around to posting it.  Sorry.  I'll try to keep up.

What you see here is what I would consider very typical "Human" cuisine as taken on-the-go.  It's a pork pie, some pickles, farmhouse cheese, and hard-boiled eggs alongside a mug of cider.  This is inspired from a plowman's lunch, although it has quite a few differences.  But, let's break it down.

Pork Pie

Doesn't that look good?  Never mind that I suck at crimping.  This was my first attempt at a standing crust pie, and I think it turned out pretty well.  It is filled with homemade salt pork and bacon alongside a chicken stock-based jelly and various spices (really, too many to list--I seasoned it with my mushroom salt and some mushroom ketchup, plus extra nutmeg).

(Please note:  anyone who can help me rotate images, thank you!)

Once you open the top of the pie, you have a LOT of meat (yes, it's not terribly pretty).  The crust wasn't always eaten, but if you're hiking down a trail looking for random monsters to fight, you're probably not throwing this out.  The whole thing is pretty tasty, although even after repeated soakings, the salt pork was rather salty.  I used a pork shoulder to make the salt pork and, of course, belly for the bacon.

Cheese

This is a farmhouse cheese I made a little more than two months old.  There is about six ounces in this ration.  Between it, the pie, and everything else, there's easily two meals in this ration.  Hooray.

It was made, much like the pork pie, based on Jas. A. Townsends and Son, Inc.'s YouTube videos.  Watch them HERE.  It's cultured whole milk, rennet, salt, and a lot of time on a salted cutting board being turned.  The cheese tastes a bit like a mild, but salty Parmesan and is definitely hard and will last quite a while.  It does make you thirsty, though.

I'm not going to talk about the eggs.  They're hard-boiled eggs.  You know what those are.

Pickles

This is a quick refrigerator pickle of mostly cucumbers with some onion, dill, pickling spice, and of course, salt and vinegar.  They have a nice crunch and provide some much-needed flavor to the dish.  Super-easy to make and they're relatively quick.

Cider

And yeah, it's an amazing picture of cider in a mug.  This is just a kvass-style quick cider that I had laying around.  It's some unfiltered apple juice, a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice, and of course yeast.  It ferments up quickly, although by this time it's gone a bit sour.  Still, the perfect thing to give to an adventurer ready to hit up the road.  After all, it's not likely that they're coming back any time soon, if at all!

The mug comes from Tri Canis Nox at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival.  I've had it for nearly two decades now and love it.  Hey, they have a Blogspot HERE.

How Long Will it Last?

Let's be honest here:  a pork pie in a standing crust can easily last several weeks.  The cheese, if kept relatively cool, will also be fine that long.  If the pickles are stored in some sort of container, they can last weeks if not months.  Wrapped in fabric, expect them to last a day or two.  The eggs, likewise, should be good over the weekend.  Assuming a wineskin or similar, the cider likewise will last well through the weekend.

So, here we go with this one.  Tell me what you think!

I will be updating this blog with more rations (and probably a how-to on cheesemaking) as I get things ready.  Some of these recipes take a lot of time.

Edit:  credit to yikes-- on Reddit for fixing the rotation!  You're a lifesaver!