Knowledge
Military rations
Food supplies for troops have often determined the outcome of wars. Until the invention of appertisation in the 19th century, bread and salted meat formed the staple diet of soldiers serving on the front. The Navy favoured beer, wine and rum, which were easier to store than water. Tinned food found its way into soldiers’ kits in the First World War and was replaced by complete meals in hermetically sealed bags in the 1980s.