Doomsday Ration Crackers
During the Cold War, The U.S. government spent a massive amount of time and money attempting to develop a high-calorie survival cracker. A multitude of both thought and trail and error went into the creation of the hardtack crackers designed to feed the masses after a nuclear attack.
The resulting cracker was made and sealed in airtight tins. These tins were then shipped to all of the government fallout shelters. These crackers contained 125 calories each, were about ¼ of an inch thick and two inches square in shape. The shelter occupants were expected to consume six crackers along with carbohydrate supplements (a hard candy type item) and a small amount of water, each day.
This diet would provide around 700 calories per person each day on the projected 14 day stay inside the shelter. This starvation diet would not prevent weight loss or hunger pangs, but would keep the survivors alive.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups of Bulgur wheat flour
1 cup of water
Directions: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the salt and Bulgar flour together. Pour the water in gradually, stirring to combine as you poor. Knead the dough with your hands. The dough will be sticky initially, but as you knead it, the stickiness will dissipate. If the dough does not lose the sticky texture slowly sprinkle in just enough Bulgur floor to take the tacky feel out of the dough as you need it into shape once again.
Roll out the dough on a sheet of wax paper after sprinkling the surface with a bit of Bulgar flour to ensure it does not stick to the surface.
The dough must not be any thicker than a ½ of an inch or it will not bake evenly and thoroughly all the way through. Use a sharp knife to cut the flattened dough into nine equal rectangles or squares.
Place the crackers onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the crackers for 30 minutes. Remove the crackers from the oven and carefully flip them over and bake at 375 degrees for another 30 minutes.
Remove the crackers from the oven and allow them to cool completely. They should be slightly browned on each side.
These crackers have been known to last for many years without the use of any special protective storage bags. For best results, pack the crackers into either a Mylar pouch or a Ziploc baggie.
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The reason that the American Army does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the American Army practices chaos on a daily basis.
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