No battle was ever won on an empty stomach. According to historians, one Roman legion had to consume 120 sheep a day for their meat ration, crusaders would recharge on dry meat and grain, while Napoleon’s soldiers spent most of their time desperately hungry.
But fast forward to the modern day and we see a whole different story. Neatly packaged and super-compact, military food rations are an easy way to provide that much-needed nutrition. But it turns out, every country has its own take on front-line dining. Thanks to one Youtuber named David Hong, who tried a variety of MREs from different countries, we now know what exactly army troops’ taste buds can expect when they open one. And surprisingly, some look better than my dinner ever has.
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Russia
Apple sauce; Pea stew; Meatball; Bacon in fat; Crackers; Rice with peas and meat; Cheese spread; Carrot and potato substance
United Kingdom
Muesli oats with milk; Sports drink, coffee and tea; Candy; Cranberry cereal bar; Fruit cake; Vegetarian pasta; Oatmeal cookie and hazelnut spread; Tomato pasta salad; Salted nuts
Italy
Breakfast: Biscuits; Chocolate; Jelly; Spoon; Coffee; Sugar; Salt. Lunch: Tortellini; Beef; Fruit salad; Biscuits; Coffee. Supper: Crackers; An entry bar; Tuna; Soup
Bored Panda reached out to David Hong, a Youtuber behind the series of videos that revealed what’s inside these military food rations. It turns out, David is also an artist in the furry fandom and Warhammer Horus Heresy project, which recently became his main focus.
The thirty-year-old Youtuber started out back in 2011 and his channel was mainly about blogging and gaming. ”I never have thought it would be an MRE Review Channel since I first opened a US MRE ration that I bought from an expat living in my country,” he recounted.
France
Terrine forestiere; Crackers; Chocolate, nougat and candy; Muesli, oats and fruits; Instant tomato soup; Braised ham; Crozets et diots
I would gladly serve in french army. Especially if you compare it with than Yugoslavian army where I served more than 30 years ago
Germany
Hazelnut pudding; Rindfleischlyoner grob; Pea stew with mettwurstchen; Hackfleischrollchen with rice; Muesli, oats milk and fruits; Roggenschrotbrot; Cranberry cereal bar; Roggenschrotbrot; Dark chocolate; Crackers
A few translations: Rindfleischlyoner grob: rough Bologna style sausage made of beef; Mettwürstchen: small strongly flavoured sausage made from raw minced pork; Hackfleischröllchen: small minced meat rolls; Roggenschrotbrot: coarse-grained rye bread;
Canada
Hot chocolate; Orange drink; Coffee; Coffee creamer; Banana flavoured oatmeal cereal; Bread; Sliced apples; Baked beans; Ketchup; Peanut butter; Strawberry jam
But it turns out, David isn’t connected to any military himself. “This question comes up due to the fact that MREs can only be had if provided by the army, or bought from a commissary in a base.” He explained that this isn’t the case anymore because military rations are now available publicly.
It’s hard to say which food ration was David’s fave since “every ration is unique to the taste and culture of their corresponding nation.” Having said that, he loved “the Russian IRP because it offers the most protein of all the MREs I had. The pork fat or sowbelly is probably the oddest choice in it; it tastes like bacon when you mix it with the rice included.”
Other nice treats included meatballs that “feel and taste realer than manufactured ones that are soggy and bland” and crackers that “are great to snack on, dunking it in the sauces of the entrees is heavenly.”
Croatia
Biscuits with pepper; Salt crackers; Chocolate; Pineapple; Papaya; Turkey pate; Liver spread; Sardines Beans; Coffee taffy's; Orange drink; Tea; Beef soup
U.S.
Marble pound cake; Skittles; Grape flavor energy drink; Crackers; Chili; Macaroni
Problem is they're typically 18 months past the expiration date. A bit hard and powdery but good enough. (Speaking from personal experience - Army vet)
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This photo does not reflect the full contents. At least 5 items are missing- crackers alternate, "cheese" or peanut butter spread and the now infamous "starbucks in a scrotal sack" disgusting mud drinks, and numerous condiments. And for those that don't know, the green bag on the left is a water activated heater, great for lukewarm meals, but even better for warming cold hands. As for the candy, it is random, but I assure you that for the last few years they have been using mostly sour skittles, which do not hold up well in storage. Oh, and they took away our beloved mini-tabasco and replaced them with what is effectively the mild sauce even Taco Bell won't give away... Got a loved one overseas right now? mail em a bottle each of red and green Tabasco...is worth its weight in gold to deployed troops.
The Cheese Tortellini is one of the best MREs in the inventory. The beef stew is also surprising good.
The US MRE is meant for high calorie intake (~1,200 cal.) not nutrition. This is 1 of 24 different meals, which change periodically. Each case (A/B) contains 12 meals/menus. In a pinch, one MRE can be split into 3 meals (skittles count) based on contents. They always contain a main, side, bread or crackers, dessert or snack, a drink pouch, and condiments that include a spread of some sort (cheese or peanut butter), salt/pepper, Tabasco or other "hot" sauce, coffee, a book of matches, and 6-12 individual sheets of toilet paper. Fun fact: bread and pound cakes are full loafs that have been vacuumed down to both save space and provide more food.
yes, I recall the book of matches, and a second (bad) chocolate bar, which was labeled for giveaway to the children that we'd meet in the streets of whatever place we invaded (SE Asia for my generation) with "A gift from the people of the United States" or some such drivel printed on the paper label. -Rev Dr M, retired professor, who knows that just because you burn your draft card, they can still find you (and don't care if you're a minister, a single parent, or the only son) when the draft board wants fresh meat (of ethnic minorities) for the front
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Only way to make it truly 'mercan is to deep fry the whole thing. Yes, the Skittles too.
US is cheap with everything. MRE's, school lunches, food for those in need ..... "great country" ... cheap AF
MREs are designed to be cheap. They are designed to keep your soldiers fed and nourished while they are in the field. From my understanding, There's a tradeoff between offering more and better food and weight which is important in combat. Also, they cause constipation.
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Yeah! 'Merica... and every other country that has MREs...
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Looks like a child's meal. Somehow can't imagine huge buff men eating this.
I think some of these were for the whole day and this is just one meal, otherwise why provide muesli and two pasta dishes.
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I love Skittles, but this is nutritionally poor...mostly sugar and starch c**p, and a little protein. No fruits or veggies of ANY kind :(
Do not be fooled... the only thing palatable is the skittles. The crackers will turn your mouth into the Sahara desert.
Wow! U.S. sure does pack as much sugar into their meals as possible. I mean: Skittles?
I'd offer that the Canuck meal has more sucrose per ounce that this one does, believe it or not...
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I like the skittles...and the chili looks good...but compared to the amount of food by the other militaries...
I can now die happy knowing that the US army has included Skittles in their rations.
Every other MRE here is much better than what we feed our US troops. Billions and billions go to the military each year and that is what we feed them? Does the general staff eat these? We should be ashamed.
In 1968, freshly arrived in Vietnam I got stuck working as a waiter in the dining hall of the Commanding General of 3rd Marine Division for a week. No, they they don't eat like troop in the field.
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Awww .. I was hoping to see a more luxurious package from the richest Army in the World :-)
I heard one of the advanced combat members used to combine drink packets with crackers, and water in a bag to make a kind of pineapple upside down cake concoction.
Yes to chili and skittles... But the US's is a helluva lot smaller portion than anyone else's!
Skittles are new since 1995. So is that marble cake. There used to be a "cookie" that looked like 1"x1"x3" block of pressed particle board. It was mildly sweet and as dry as the particle board it looked like. It could stop a system up fast.
I did not get any Skittles in my MRE, I did get some M&Ms though and my chili was much more like a soup, but that was back in 1985 or 86. Cake and crackers were very dry, needed some peanut butter, butter, or jelly. Was glad that a friend and I both bought Noodles in a Cup with us.
I remember when these were first introduced that troops said MRE stands for "Meals, Rejected by Ethiopians" (this was during that country's terrible famine and civil war)
I've eaten C Rats, Long Rats, and MRE's. In this old Marine's opinion, they should've stuck with the C Rats.
My dad was in the Army and he used to bring home boxes of MREs that we would take on camping trips. Really... interesting.
Some of you are lucky..... when I went in we still had C-Rations. MRE's weren't half bad. I got a box of C-Rations one time in Germany that still had the cigarettes in them ( stale ... circa Korean war) LOL
Is the little white squares gum? Like the kind you get from a quarter candy machine?
Yeah. Rumor has it that it has a laxative effect for after eating the other parts. I never got bound up eating these. And I've eaten A LOT of them. Beef stew: gross. Chili Mac: yum.
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Ate many MRE's in the Army and I loved them especially the deserts.
My mom retired from the army and my dad is still in the army, and they have these at the grocery store that is on base
chili macaroni - American specialty and pretty darn good homemade. an Army vet said they are yummy, so....
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I bought some of these surplus...never got the skittles, but I've come across Pop-Tarts several times, and Tootsie rolls once or twice. There's also an oatmeal cookie that is surprisingly good, and the entrees I've had *look* like dog food, but actually taste and smell reasonably OK.
I've had some of the US MREs because of a national guard presentation at my school, shiet is better than our school lunches
Yeah they’re actually not bad, and I’d kill for the crackers they have in there
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this one actually isn't too bad. its not anywhere close to what we eat everyday but this is one meal that is fought over lol
Compared to which other one? Because I personally don't think ANY main looks especially appetising...
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Tea; Coffee; Chicken casserole; Hardtack; Hard candies; Stick of gum; Honey; Condensed milk ; Pepper; Salt; Raisins
Moreover, David believes that “the entrees in the Russia IRP are the best seasoned,” which means you don’t need to add salt or pepper. “The mini stove is also very cute when warming the entrees within their containers, as a civilian, I feel like camping when using it,” he added.
The Youtuber, who is originally from the Philippines, also told us about the time he tried living on “twenty-four colon-blocking [army ration] flavors to choose from.” It may sound fun, but in reality, “It is quite a fattening and a constipating endeavor as a civilian with moderate exercise, the amount of calories in each pack is designed for soldiers.”
Lithuania
Drink; Chicken soup; Hazelnuts; Crackers; Chocolate; Chicken and rice
This looks decent but i would pour some of the soup over the chicken and rice to rescue it a bit.
Kazakhstan
Biscuits; Tea bag; Jam; Pate; Squash; Rice; Corned beef with soup
Ukraine
Breakfast: Iced tea; Biscuits; Rice with beef; Wipes.
Lunch: Spoon and tissue paper; Pate; Pork; Drink; Sugar.
Supper:Biscuits;Tuna;Pate;Iced tea;Sugar
Not only can the MREs truly be fattening since they’re packed with calories, they can also get dull easily. “Once you already cycled through the menus as they can have the same desserts or spreads in consecutive packs.”
All in all, David wouldn’t recommend relying on MREs as a quick meal even for an athlete because “they can really throw off your diet and bowels.”
Spain
Tuna; Mix fruits; Beef and peas; Instant vege soup; Pate
China
Cake; Fruit; Rice; Sausage; Hot Sauce
Rice and sausage looks like it may be a lil hard to swollow. It fell victim to the "evaporation fairy" that is known to suck all moisture and flavor out of MRE's or Equivalents.
I wish these ration packs were easily accessible and cheap. Would be great to give out to the homeless.
I would try any of these once. The closest stuff I've eaten is freeze-dried camping/backpacking food you add boiling water to. Not terrible, 100% reliant on spices/seasoning.
I bought a few of these (American ones) at a surplus store a while back, for camping/emergency purposes. I'm sure anyone would get tired of them pretty fast, but I found it kind of fun opening them and seeing what different items I got. (The packaging had the name of the entree on it, but the other components were a surprise.) Some of them have a processed cheese-type substance with jalapenos in it, that is probably objectively terrible, but really hits the spot if you've been hiking all day.
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Why did you not write the duration of the ration pack? example, one United Kingdom ration pack are for 24h survival , and Lithuanian one ration pack for 8h survival, Lithuanian soldiers for 24h get 3 mentioned packs, in post can be assumed that all ration packs are for the same duration of survival, what is wrong ;/
Pff, kids today don't know they're born. South African army, 1987 - for a three day hike, full kit and rifle over rocky dry terrain, we were each given one piece of raw steak, but no fires were allowed. And to share between three, one box of dry rusks (hard biscuits that can't be eaten unless sucked for an hour before or dipped in a hot drink... again, no fire allowed, so that was a no-go). By the end of the march we would have killed each other for one of the packs above.
All the ones with pate just seem like they are giving their soldiers cat food to eat. Also they almost all have some form of cracker/ biscuits. However the main entrees in the MREs dont look particularly enticing. I get that they are to serve as a quick thing to eat during combat, but you'd think that the military that is defending your country would get way better looking food than this.
I noticed that the nations with colder climates had some of the most caloric and compacted foods, save for Poland. Kazakh summers can be very hot, but the winters are tough.
They certainly are different from my days as an Army dependent(WWII Baby), and active duty tanker. My guess is that they are quite tasty and nutritious. 'Course, the favorite pastime is complaining and Bitching about anything and everything, just to Be one of the gang. When my scout troop went into the boondocks, we always carried a good supply of "Cs". And we burned up a lot of calories too.
There is actually a whole web community (mre info I believe is one of the main websites) - my husband & son are active in it. Youtubers review different rations from different countries & eras (yes, you can actually get some from earlier decades and wars) and let people know what is good/bad & ugly, lol. One of the most awesome of these guys (Steve) will try almost anything (sometimes twice) and has the best reviews.
Wow! Thank you- to the women and men who go out of their way to put their lives in danger so our countries can be protected. Cheers to you.
Biscuits as Americans know them are not the same as biscuits in the rest of the world. For us, they're a flaky, risen dough type of savory treat (often covered with gravy). To the rest of the world, they're cookies. Americans. We always gotta be a little different.
I was in the swedish army for a year (lumpen) in 2008. It was actually pretty good food.
There's a YouTuber whose channel is called Emmymadeinjapan who tests out MREs to see if they're any good (she does a lot of other awesome things foodwise, mostly making interesting/odd recipes and tasting them -- you should check out her channel, it's fanastic). The Scandinavian ones seem to be the best. They're more like Actual Real Food.
If you like this post watch Steve1989 on his YouTube channel. He does great MRE reviews of MREs from all over the world, and from various time periods. Even the Civil War, and WWII. He eats them too as many are good for decades.
Anyone interested in MRE's should look up Steve1989 on YouTube. You're welcome ;)
I remember getting into my dad’s MREs from when he served in the Gulf and Bosnian Wars (USAF)....I’m 36 now and can *still* taste them 😂
I'm shocked the legendary Scottish winter[/extreme environment] army ration isn't included: For an extended review, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ry4QBQejFU
I recall a rumor that Royal Navy/Marine rations still had the traditional "rum-ration" in them, so some of my less scrupulous partners would trade all hell and gone or even real money to get these rations. Salted kippers are not rum boys. For the record our British cousins did nothing to discourage this yankee enthusiasm for booze...
What, no Scottish Army ration pack? ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ry4QBQejFU
France and Russia look like their soldiers have the best meals to me!
You can buy freeze dried food at Wal-Mart in the camping section. Like freeze dried ice cream. One day I may try it.
I tried it once, while still dry (Dunno if or how one was supposed to add water). Tasted cardboard
Load More Replies... I wonder how he got these. This was very interesting, only one, I think, said which meal it was, so I wonder what they all are meant for.
They're meant to keep you going all day. You can order any of these online.
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When I was young my uncle gave my brother and I MREs when we were camping to see what they were like. I remember not liking them other than the fact that I got the coveted Tootsie Roll (those were my uncle's favorite).
I think I would like my rations in a waterproof bag/box so that if it rained, I wouldn't lose all my rations out in the field.
If you wanna see more of these, look up “emmymadeinjapan” on YouTube. She has tried out packs from all over the world.
I've eaten British, American, French, Polish, Lithuanian and German. All of them are very tasty (especially the French ones), the German ones are very bland I was expecting better.
Many people do it to be able to get a college education *cough USA cough* because they cannot afford it otherwise.
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There's no reason to lose your appetite. During my time as a conscript in the Austrian army the food rations also didn't look appealing, just like in above photos, but it always was decent food.
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Honestly, when you're in the situation that you only have the MRE-meals for your daily food, I'm sure the trans-fats are the last and least of your problems.
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I wish these ration packs were easily accessible and cheap. Would be great to give out to the homeless.
I would try any of these once. The closest stuff I've eaten is freeze-dried camping/backpacking food you add boiling water to. Not terrible, 100% reliant on spices/seasoning.
I bought a few of these (American ones) at a surplus store a while back, for camping/emergency purposes. I'm sure anyone would get tired of them pretty fast, but I found it kind of fun opening them and seeing what different items I got. (The packaging had the name of the entree on it, but the other components were a surprise.) Some of them have a processed cheese-type substance with jalapenos in it, that is probably objectively terrible, but really hits the spot if you've been hiking all day.
Load More Replies... Why did you not write the duration of the ration pack? example, one United Kingdom ration pack are for 24h survival , and Lithuanian one ration pack for 8h survival, Lithuanian soldiers for 24h get 3 mentioned packs, in post can be assumed that all ration packs are for the same duration of survival, what is wrong ;/
Pff, kids today don't know they're born. South African army, 1987 - for a three day hike, full kit and rifle over rocky dry terrain, we were each given one piece of raw steak, but no fires were allowed. And to share between three, one box of dry rusks (hard biscuits that can't be eaten unless sucked for an hour before or dipped in a hot drink... again, no fire allowed, so that was a no-go). By the end of the march we would have killed each other for one of the packs above.
All the ones with pate just seem like they are giving their soldiers cat food to eat. Also they almost all have some form of cracker/ biscuits. However the main entrees in the MREs dont look particularly enticing. I get that they are to serve as a quick thing to eat during combat, but you'd think that the military that is defending your country would get way better looking food than this.
I noticed that the nations with colder climates had some of the most caloric and compacted foods, save for Poland. Kazakh summers can be very hot, but the winters are tough.
They certainly are different from my days as an Army dependent(WWII Baby), and active duty tanker. My guess is that they are quite tasty and nutritious. 'Course, the favorite pastime is complaining and Bitching about anything and everything, just to Be one of the gang. When my scout troop went into the boondocks, we always carried a good supply of "Cs". And we burned up a lot of calories too.
There is actually a whole web community (mre info I believe is one of the main websites) - my husband & son are active in it. Youtubers review different rations from different countries & eras (yes, you can actually get some from earlier decades and wars) and let people know what is good/bad & ugly, lol. One of the most awesome of these guys (Steve) will try almost anything (sometimes twice) and has the best reviews.
Wow! Thank you- to the women and men who go out of their way to put their lives in danger so our countries can be protected. Cheers to you.
Biscuits as Americans know them are not the same as biscuits in the rest of the world. For us, they're a flaky, risen dough type of savory treat (often covered with gravy). To the rest of the world, they're cookies. Americans. We always gotta be a little different.
I was in the swedish army for a year (lumpen) in 2008. It was actually pretty good food.
There's a YouTuber whose channel is called Emmymadeinjapan who tests out MREs to see if they're any good (she does a lot of other awesome things foodwise, mostly making interesting/odd recipes and tasting them -- you should check out her channel, it's fanastic). The Scandinavian ones seem to be the best. They're more like Actual Real Food.
If you like this post watch Steve1989 on his YouTube channel. He does great MRE reviews of MREs from all over the world, and from various time periods. Even the Civil War, and WWII. He eats them too as many are good for decades.
Anyone interested in MRE's should look up Steve1989 on YouTube. You're welcome ;)
I remember getting into my dad’s MREs from when he served in the Gulf and Bosnian Wars (USAF)....I’m 36 now and can *still* taste them 😂
I'm shocked the legendary Scottish winter[/extreme environment] army ration isn't included: For an extended review, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ry4QBQejFU
I recall a rumor that Royal Navy/Marine rations still had the traditional "rum-ration" in them, so some of my less scrupulous partners would trade all hell and gone or even real money to get these rations. Salted kippers are not rum boys. For the record our British cousins did nothing to discourage this yankee enthusiasm for booze...
What, no Scottish Army ration pack? ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ry4QBQejFU
France and Russia look like their soldiers have the best meals to me!
You can buy freeze dried food at Wal-Mart in the camping section. Like freeze dried ice cream. One day I may try it.
I tried it once, while still dry (Dunno if or how one was supposed to add water). Tasted cardboard
Load More Replies... I wonder how he got these. This was very interesting, only one, I think, said which meal it was, so I wonder what they all are meant for.
They're meant to keep you going all day. You can order any of these online.
Load More Replies... When I was young my uncle gave my brother and I MREs when we were camping to see what they were like. I remember not liking them other than the fact that I got the coveted Tootsie Roll (those were my uncle's favorite).
I think I would like my rations in a waterproof bag/box so that if it rained, I wouldn't lose all my rations out in the field.
If you wanna see more of these, look up “emmymadeinjapan” on YouTube. She has tried out packs from all over the world.
I've eaten British, American, French, Polish, Lithuanian and German. All of them are very tasty (especially the French ones), the German ones are very bland I was expecting better.
Many people do it to be able to get a college education *cough USA cough* because they cannot afford it otherwise.
Load More Replies... There's no reason to lose your appetite. During my time as a conscript in the Austrian army the food rations also didn't look appealing, just like in above photos, but it always was decent food.
Load More Replies... Honestly, when you're in the situation that you only have the MRE-meals for your daily food, I'm sure the trans-fats are the last and least of your problems.
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