Bread omelette and fish made of rice: The ingenious (and unappetising) recipes that kept the Home Front fed in World War Two (2024)

FAQs

What kind of food did they eat in World War II? ›

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.

It mandated the enrichment of all white flour. Millers knew what to do, and the soldiers were grateful. Healthy white bread was now cheap and plentiful for the Allied soldiers. And white bread, that old underdog, helped win the Second World War.

From The Economical War-Time Cook Book, this recipe was designed to save white flour during World War I, substituting rye, wheat, and cornmeal instead.

Peanuts and soybeans were substituted for meats, cheese became more popular, and eggs were included in many meals. Fruits and vegetables were also in short supply. Families planted victory gardens, which provided more than half of all the vegetables in their diet, as well as fruits and even flowers.

An English Breakfast during WWII. Breakfast tended to be porridge with milk if available but some families would use melted lard!

The resources required to produce sliced bread were considered so vital to military efforts during World War II that the product was banned — yes, really. Commodities including meats, sugar, milk, and coffee, as well as products like canned fish, culinary fats, and cheese were restricted.

During World War II, sales of sliced bread were banned to conserve steel used in industrial slicing machines.

It was known as War Bread. The extraction rate rose from a peace-time level of 76 per cent in November 1916 to 81 per cent in February 1917, with admixtures of barley, oats or rye flour, and 92 per cent in March 1918, with added soya or potato flour. The bread was consequently dark in colour.

They ate mutton or beef, alongside potatoes and bread to keep them full. Plum puddings or chocolate were also common, especially in emergency rations, eaten by individuals trapped behind enemy lines. Instant coffee became the staple drink for G.I.'s to such an extent that the nickname of G.I.

A typical day, writes Murlin, might include breakfast of oatmeal, pork sausages, fried potatoes, bread and butter and coffee; lunch of roast beef, baked potatoes, bread and butter, cornstarch pudding and coffee; and dinner of beef stew, corn bread, Karo syrup, prunes, and tea.

What did soldiers taste in ww1? ›

By the First World War (1914-18), Army food was basic, but filling. Each soldier could expect around 4,000 calories a day, with tinned rations and hard biscuits staples once again. But their diet also included vegetables, bread and jam, and boiled plum puddings.

Children's rations were slightly different to adults. Children were entitled to extra food that was considered essential for healthy growth, such as milk and orange juice. The National Milk Scheme provided one pint of milk for every child under 5. Fruit and vegetables were not rationed but were in short supply.

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.