Page 29 - The Lost Ways

In Alaska, people still eat hardtacks and actually enjoy them! Though the hardtack eaten
in Alaska today does not come from the recipe we will discuss here, it’s still a very simple
leavened version with the addition of some fat as well.

Survival kits are required cargo on flights by light aircraft in Alaska, and it seems these
hardtacks are a favorite addition to these kits, so much so that they are available
everywhere these flights land or take off.

During the Civil War, the South was strangled by a naval blockade that kept fresh wheat

out of the hands of the Confederacy. In fact, in the early days of the war, the army was
eating hardtacks from the Mexican American War, which had ended in 1848. This
astounding fact should drive home the effectiveness of this food.

It was not uncommon for a soldier’s full meal
to consist of one hardtack for breakfast, one
hardtack for lunch, and one for dinner. Now
consider the grueling hikes and hand-to-
hand combat that ensued. These warriors of

our past fought it out with little more than
coffee and flour in their stomachs.

Though the Union army had more resources,
their soldiers, too, had to depend on
hardtacks. Of course, they were not eating
biscuits from previous wars, yet these were

still rock hard.

To temper its hard nature, they would often dip it into coffee, whiskey, or tea. This acted
as a softener. Some of the men would smash them with rifle butts and mix in river water
to make a mush. If a frying pan was available, the mush could be cooked into a lumpy
pancake. If not, it was dropped directly on campfire coals.

For dessert, hardtack was sometimes crumbled with brown sugar and hot water. If
3
whiskey was available, that was added. The resulting dish was called a pudding.

The best place to find real, honest hardtacks being made is at the popular Civil War
reenactments. The men and women who participate in the historic battles often enjoy

3 According to historian William Davis

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