Individual diet number 1. What is included in the dry ration of the Russian army
The combat capability of the army depends on many factors: the moral and physical condition of the soldiers, their level of possession of weapons and equipment, the staffing of units, and so on.
The feeling of satiety and lack of hunger has a significant impact on the morale and physical condition of a person, so the regular supply of high-quality food to military personnel is one of the primary tasks of the modern army.
What is an IRP
Soldiers ideally feed on freshly prepared hot meals prepared in the field kitchens. In practice, the constant presence and operation of the field kitchen is not possible, so the army uses the RPI (individual ration) otherwise dry rations.
An army dry ration is a set of products created for use in the field when there is no way to make a hot meal. In most cases, the dry ration provides for the nutrition of one person, depending on the type of food in one set, it can be enough for a one-time meal or for the whole day.
Requirements
IRP is used in the field, so strict requirements are imposed on its composition. Dry rations meet the following points:
- Long-term storage - perishable products are excluded from the composition, for example, chilled semi-finished products from meat, fish, poultry, freshly squeezed juices, creamy confectionery and so on.
- Ready-to-eat or minimum cooking requirements - army rations are often consumed on short notice in the field when soldiers are unable to cook food.
- Easily digestible products in the composition - sukhpai is created for the entire army, so its composition cannot cause allergies in individual fighters or cause stomach and intestinal upsets.
- The optimal composition - dry rations must meet the needs of the human body, for which caloric content, proteins, fats, carbohydrates are calculated, vitamins, minerals and other useful substances are added.
- Reliable, simple, convenient packaging - an individual diet must withstand any field conditions and remain edible, and its unpacking and consumption should not cause difficulties and take a lot of time.
- Variety and taste - any food is boring, therefore, several varieties of dry rations are provided for a change. Taste is also important, the armies of the world often rely on their national cuisines when choosing the composition of the RPI.
Composition of the IRP
As mentioned above, the ingredients of dry rations depend on the national cuisine. Previously, some countries added contraceptives (condoms) and cigarettes, but later stopped.
Additional inventory of a modern dry ration is disposable plastic plates, cups, forks, a knife, napkins, toilet paper and other hygiene products. To heat some products, burners with a dry fuel or chemical heater are used.
Consider the Russian dry ration, the composition and the food products included in it.
- Long-term canned food - stew, condensed milk, cereals, vegetable stew.
- Freeze-dried (specially dried and vacuum-packed) and dried products - dried fruits, powdered milk, instant soups and borscht, instant coffee and powdered juice.
- Varieties of bread - an army dry ration necessarily contains crackers, biscuits, and so on.
- Food additives to add flavor - salt, sugar, a variety of spices that allow you to adjust food to your taste.
- Vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements useful for the body - in the field, a person is subject to high physical and moral stress, and therefore needs additional support.
History of appearance
The basis of a combat-ready army is well-fed and healthy soldiers. Therefore, attention has long been paid to the food supply of parts. With the development of industry, long-term storage products and concentrated foods began to appear, ready to eat after minimal preparation.
Nomads in their campaigns took pieces of meat, which were thinly sliced and placed under the saddle. The sweat of the horse salted it and ensured a long storage in an edible form.
The Mongols used an analogue of the current bouillon cubes, made from ground meat and bones. From such cubes a hot stew was obtained.
In 1795, French chef Appert earned the Napoleonic award by inventing a way to preserve food.
In 1810, Durand from England began making canned food for the Navy using tin cans.
The Soviet Red Army in the Finnish-Soviet war faced a shortage of food, as a result of which, in 1941, the first Soviet dry ration appeared. It was created for certain requirements, such as light weight, minimal package size, long-term storage in heat and cold, quick and easy preparation.
On May 15, 1941, dry rations officially appeared in the USSR army; it was based on concentrates prepared with boiling water. In most cases, it was issued to units, and not to fighters personally. Its composition left much to be desired, and cooking required boiling water and some time.
Its composition was intended for three meals a day, contained:
After the Second World War, the Soviet Union improved the soldier's IRP, increased the number of options. The dream of ordinary infantrymen was a mountain dry ration, which had spinach and chocolate on the list of products.
In the 80s, a standard dry ration received meat and meat and vegetable canned food, crackers or biscuits, tea and sugar. Calorie content was in the region of 3100-3350 kcal. The packaging left much to be desired and was a cardboard box, although dry rations were often given unpackaged to a soldier.
Individual diet of the Russian army
Soviet soldiers did not eat very well, especially in comparison with Western military personnel.
After the end of the Soviet Union, by the mid-90s, dry rations of a new Russian standard were developed. On July 24, 2000, they were approved by an order of the Minister of Defense.
The army began to issue IRP-B (individual combat diet) and IRP-P (individual daily diet). Their main difference is the lower calorie content of the latter.
New items differed from Soviet army rations:
- An expanded range of products - in addition to stew and porridge, other canned food (for example, fish), water-soluble drinks (juices, coffee, milk) appeared.
- Modern packaging in the form of a sealed plastic bag with a handle.
- Mandatory items for cooking and personal hygiene in the composition - plastic dishes and cutlery, a burner for heating food, napkins, water disinfection tablets, chewing gum and so on.
- Several dietary options, which allowed you to eat a variety of foods.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in 2014 took the initiative to bring the appearance of Russian individual diets to one standard. In 2015, the updated packaging began to be used for all types of dry rations.
Today there is a wide range of civilian and military dry rations created for different purposes:
- IRP-P - everyday, the most common and popular;
- IRP-U - reinforced, characterized by an increased number of calories, used by law enforcement officers, used as an emergency supply, loved by fishermen, hunters.
- BRPSV (Norm No17) - on-board ration for pilots, pilots of combat aircraft.
- RPESV (Norm No12) - for pilots, pilots of aircraft located at alternate airfields where there is no hot food.
- Many others, for example, emergency, mining, IRP FSB, for divers, for employees in the area of emissions and the presence of chemicals hazardous to health, radiation, and so on.
Russia provides, at its own expense, with dry rations to the military, performing tasks or being in the daily activities of the army, if the production of hot food is not possible.
Military personnel should not receive one ration for more than 7 days.
Foreign dry rations
American
The most recognizable was the American MRE - Meal Ready to Eat (Food, ready to eat).
A single meal is provided, calorie content in the region of 1200, weight 500-700 grams. Packed in a sealed plastic bag with a number, there are a total of 24 menu options.
Contains a second course, instant coffee or tea plus lemonade. It differs by the absence of the first, but by the presence of a dessert, for example, biscuits, cookies, and so on. Some options have added cheese and biscuits.
Food is heated in a special package with a chemical heater. After pouring water, a chemical reaction begins in it and heat is released, which allows food to be heated inside.
Other dry rations are also produced in the USA:
- Sukhpai FSR (First Strike Ration) - designed for the military, experiencing high physical exertion. It has an increased calorie content, lasts for 72 hours, the original packaging makes it possible to drink on the go.
- Sukhpai MCW (Meal Cold Weather) - designed for the military, serving and performing tasks at low ambient temperatures.
- Sukhpay LRP (Long Range Patrol) - designed for the military, long-term operating away from the field kitchen.
- Dry rations HDR (Humanitarian Daily Ration) - differs in the original composition without products from animal fats, meat, alcohol and the most simple packaging with instructions in the form of pictures. Created to provide humanitarian assistance.
Ukrainian
Ukraine, after the collapse of the USSR, began to create its own IRP.
IRP provides for three meals a day, in the composition you will find: biscuits, canned food, concentrated broth, jam, tea, fruit drink, sugar, spices, Hexavit vitamins and necessary items such as plastic cutlery and personal hygiene products.
Other countries
Italy offers 50 milliliters of alcohol, pasta, soup, turkey, salads and chocolates in its dry pack. Additionally, cream, chocolate muesli, food warmer are provided.
The French individual diet will delight even gourmets. It contains: canned deer meat pate, assorted other meats, Creole pork, caramel. There are IRPs with beef dumplings and salmon pate.
They are attracted by practical packaging, long-term storage, balanced composition, high calorie content and reasonable price.
On the network you can find stores selling various IRPs, but often there are fakes in them, or ordinary products sealed in a beautiful package by a private company.
In addition, blood donors are given dry rations. It is not too similar to the army, but in its composition it contains healthy and tasty products.
Today I tried an individual diet option 6, intended for deliveries to the troops of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2012. If you remember, last year I already talked about one of the dry rations (IRP 7), so in some places I will compare with it. The manufacturer of soldering is OJSC "Gryazinsky food plant" (Lipetsk region). If the previous one weighed 1.75 kilograms, then the new one weighed 2.1 kg. If in terms of the number of kilograms the new ration overtakes the old one, then the expiration date is the opposite: the old one - 1 year 10 months, the new one - 11 months. There are also differences in nutritional value. Proteins: old - 115 g, new - 131.4 g; fats: old - 147 g, new - 256.2 g; carbohydrates: old - 383 g, new - 376.7 g. Energy value: old - 3395 kcal, new - 4253.2 kcal. But not everything is measured only in dry numbers, which will be discussed below. For scale, in almost every photo I applied boxes of ordinary matches. The handle was torn not because I eagerly pounced on it, tearing it to eat rations, but when simply carrying it through a couple of tens of meters. A similar problem was with the handle on the old soldering. Gentlemen producers, correct, huh? The inside of the box is covered with foil and a short exposure to the rain will not harm the contents, but I do not recommend dipping it into water: it leaks along the seam at the bottom 
Inside there is a cardboard box in which the products are laid. 
Instructions for use. 
For breakfast, according to the instructions, it is proposed to use: - Army bread from wheat flour of the 1st grade (in the photo the lowest package and the one on the right). 
Minced sausage special (in the photo - on the right). 
Buckwheat porridge with beef. 
Fruit and berry concentrate. There are only three of them, you can choose any. 
Chocolate is bitter. With the indoctrination of a fighter, represented by Suvorov's saying. 
Fruit jam. 
Coffee, cream. 
The cream is camouflaged so the enemy can't see it. 
Sugar. Somehow in two different packages. 
Multivitamin. 
Before eating, hands can be wiped with a damp cloth. There are only three of them. 
Cutlery according to the instructions should be presented with one knife and 3 spoons, but another knife leaked into the kit. There are also 3 paper napkins. 
Taganok for warming up was in such a paper bag. 
In the new soldering version, the tablets are not packaged individually. 
After use, it is supposed to put the taganok back into this package. From the inside, it is covered with a film, therefore, in case of accidental ingress of moisture, it should not become sour. Matches. Here is a more thoughtful packaging for matches than in the previous soldering: it is easier to remove and do not break, which side you do not squeeze out. 
But the soft cherkash didn’t want to push the wrapping paper into any, so I had to cut it out with a knife. I suggest that manufacturers from the Cherkash side provide for a protruding eyelet on the paper so that it can be opened by pulling it. 
Surprisingly, there was no can opener in the solder, so I had to wield a prudently seized knife. As far as I can remember my field trips, in 90% of cases, banks were opened with the opener included in the kit. I don’t know why it is recommended to use a knife for breakfast: the porridge was completely “chopped” with a spoon for more uniform heating. 
The wind deflectors of the new taganka are shorter than those of the old one, so a tablet of dry fuel is not placed on the edge in it (the bottom of the can rests on it), it can only be used in a lying position. This is more correct, because. the higher the wind deflectors, the greater the distance between the fire and the can, which means more heat goes into the atmosphere. There was no wind, so the fuel blazed without any problems from one match. 
Now for the taste sensations. Although it is written that buckwheat porridge with beef, in fact, meat is hard to find. The taste is more like ordinary buckwheat without anything. I do not agree with this, in previous versions the meat was clearly felt! Impressions were brightened up by minced sausage, garlic and pepper of which gave a certain sharpness to food and helped to absorb fresh porridge. The bread rolls are standard, they have not been changed for a long time, there are no questions about them. The chocolate is good, no questions asked (the foil is multicolored, so it looks like this). 
It looked the same as before. Normal. Fruit and berry concentrate with strawberry, rosehip and blueberry flavors - good. 
I am indifferent to coffee with cream, but I have no complaints about it. Good. After eating, I was really pleased with the presence of chewing gum in the ration. 
Let's move on to the saddest part of the feast: dinner. At lunch, according to the instructions, it is proposed to eat: army bread from wallpaper flour (the first 2 packs in the photo). 
Meatballs from beef. 
Dried fish. 
Ragout of vegetables. 
Fruit and berry concentrate. 
Tea, sugar (tea is represented by the standard packaged "May"). 
These are meatballs still unheated (the fat is not melted). I can’t say that I am delighted with this dish, but I won’t call it bad either. Something average. 
The vegetable stew ended up with bell pepper, which I can't stand, so I didn't like it. But the wife ate with pleasure. 
Why do we need 4 pieces of dried pollock in a dry ration is a mystery to me. There are obvious problems with beer at the training ground or somewhere near Achkhoy-Martan in the mountains, so what? No, the officers in the rear, of course, will be pleased, but there are still more soldiers. If you accidentally crush a jar of stew, then the next time you open it, you risk losing part of the liquid sauce, which, according to the laws of physics, will inevitably rush out. A bank would be stronger, or something. Dinner. He is the most solid: - Crispbread from wheat flour of the first grade - Canned salted lard 
Liver pate (pictured left). 
Meat with beans and vegetables. 
Fruit and berry concentrate 
Sterilized processed cheese (the same as in the old ration). 
"Approved by astronauts." 
Apple puree. 
Tea, sugar. Meat with beans and vegetables turned out to be mostly beans. Found only two any noticeable pieces of meat. I don’t like such dishes, so I only ate a few spoons for testing. 
The lard turned out to be the most tender fat. Not a fan of this product, but I know for sure that in the field it goes with a bang. I give a plus. 
Liver pate - regular liver pate. Normal. Melted cheese is the norm. 
Apple puree is a delicious product, I ate it with pleasure. Of the three dry drinks, I liked the cherry-flavoured one the most. The other two are good too. Aquabreeze tablets can be used to disinfect water. 
Now general impressions. The friendly chorus of critics, who demanded the same variety in rations as in the American one, did their dirty deed: the meat went not even to the second, but to the third roles, vegetables rule the ball instead. Kashi also go into the shade. No, I'm hungry and I'll eat the stew and destroy the beans, but without any pleasure. Of such personal preferences, I put a minus on a small amount of meat (where is the stew?), porridge and the dominance of beans. In the plus fruit concentrates, apple puree, chocolate, chewing gum, bacon. I propose to double the number of paper napkins. And the knife can be wiped, and the hands, on which the sauce will splash out from the squeezed jar, and the lips.
Today we will see what our soldiers eat in the field.
Pretty good diet.
We have: an individual diet (IRP), option 7.
I remind you that this is only one of the proposed soldering options, in others the equipment may be different.
I specially take pictures next to the box of matches so that you can estimate the dimensions
Manufactured by OAO "Leningradskoye" (Krasnodar Territory. It is a diversified structural production of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation), the main production is OAO "Gryazinsky Food Plant" (Lipetsk Region)
Now dry rations are produced in just such cardboard packages, covered with foil from the inside. I do not like this option, because. the box is less resistant to damage than the previously used plastic one. For example, in the variant under consideration, the handle broke very quickly, although I did not actively pull it. If you pull it out of a tightly stuffed duffel bag or backpack, it will come off. Also, after opening, it turned out that despite the external integrity of the box, a bag of sugar and a bag of jam were somehow damaged, as a result of which some of the cans and packages had to be wiped off from the above products. To top it off, one of the spoons included in the kit was almost broken in half. Either I was so unlucky, or the box is really afraid of squeezing.
Opened packaging
From the inside, a box is removed in which the contents of the solder are tightly packed.
Instructions for use
Meat with green peas and carrots
Beef stew
Buckwheat porridge with beef
Herring in oil
vegetable caviar
melted cheese
Serious application
There are 4 packs of biscuits in total (8 pieces each), two of them are made from wheat flour of the first grade, and two from wheat flour. Previously, biscuits in dry rations were made only from first grade flour.
Dry drink concentrate
Includes three tea bags
Now this is not burnt sugar with extract, as before, but quite a regular tea bag
Tea comes with two bags of apple jam
Sugar for three mugs of tea
The bag is completely paper, there is no protection against moisture, so you can’t carry it in reserve for a long time in the field: it will either tear or get wet. uncomfortable
New compared to earlier dry rations - ground black pepper and salt. I never wanted to pepper or salt dry rations, so I don’t see much point in them (salt, however, can be used for ordinary food), but spicy lovers will definitely be happy
What pepper, what salt, again in paper bags, which does not allow them to be stored in reserve in the field.
Multivitamin - 1 pc.
Hygiene items are represented by disinfectant wipes. Now there are two options - for the body and equipment and for cutlery. In the fields, in any way, they will not pay attention to the inscriptions, especially since the composition of the napkins is the same))
The notch that separates the wipes is poorly made, which is why when trying to separate them, one of the packages was opened. Gotta fix it
Includes 3 plain paper napkins
And as many as three spoons against one in earlier versions. There are four of them in the photo, because comes with cheese
The same spoon, which turned out to be broken in an outwardly absolutely whole box. Visible and traces of jam from a damaged bag
Can opener
Hunting matches and dry fuel. On the latter, traces of the same squeezed jam are visible
I open banks. Of course, they can also be heated when closed, but care must be taken that the jar does not explode due to overheating and then it is inconvenient to open a hot one. That's why I chose to open
A jar of vegetable caviar is opened easier - just pull the corner
A jar of melted cheese opens even more conveniently
open beef
Meat with green peas
Buckwheat
Herring in oil. It was inconvenient to open, because. the jar was slightly deformed and the oil immediately rushed out. It is better to pack in the same rigid jar as cheese
Whole flour biscuits
I start warming up.
I pull out the button, disconnecting the taganka and the container with the pills
I bring the taganok into working condition
If the tablet was removed from the container by simple pressure, then the grater, being made of a soft material, did not want to push through the package, as a result of which it had to be cut with a knife. flaw
The sulfur on the tablet, of course, ignited when struck on a grater, but the flame almost immediately died out, so I had to set it on fire with matches. Are they saving on sulfur?
Personal advice - if you are heating canned food, then put the taganok in the way as in the photo. And if you want to boil water in a mug, then turn over the taganok. Then the tablet will be directly under the mug and the flame will heat it, not the atmosphere;)
We light a hunting match
Things went
It seems to me, or does this dry fuel leave more "fume" after burnout than before?
Impressions from the process of eating.
1. Spoons suck. Firstly, it is scary to press it, the feeling that it is about to break. Secondly, who came up with the idea of making her sharp edges? Almost every time after sending the next portion to the mouth, the inner surface of the lips hurt, which was scraped by the spoon. It's good that the spoon is now more spacious than in the previous rations, but make it a little stronger and round off the ends.
2. Braised beef. I am glad that the taste of meat, which disappeared in previous years, returned to her again.
3. Buckwheat porridge. Nothing has changed, as it was good, and remained.
4. Meat with green peas. I’m just not a fan of such dishes, so it didn’t make a special impression on me, but it will go with a bang in the fields. A very satisfying thing, by the way.
5. Herring. Ordinary canned fish.
6. Vegetable caviar. Again, not a big fan of such dishes, so I preferred that they just put tomato sauce. But again, in the fields will go for a sweet soul.
7. Processed cheese. Just melted cheese.
8. Jam. Goes very well with biscuits. Minus - there is no notch on the package for tearing. As a result, you have to tear your teeth.
9. Dry drink concentrate. If you drank "Jupi" or "Invite", then you know what it looks like. In the field, a very favorite drink
10. Biscuits. Those made from flour of the first grade are normal, wallpaper ones are somehow not very good, apparently because I don’t eat bran products. Unusual.
11. Tea. Finally, a regular sachet, not an extract with sugar.
Well, IRP-7 is a good dry ration, which needs to be slightly improved in terms of packaging and quality of components. It is a pity that there are no sweets, they would not interfere at all.
I recommend that you look through all my entries under the "dry ration" tag, you can see the testing of the IRP-B-1 soldering and communication with one of the manufacturers of dry rations. By the way, some of my comments, as we see, are taken into account;).
The opportunity came up to write a review of army dry rations, designed to feed Russian military personnel in the field (when there is no way to cook hot food).
One IRP (individual diet) No. 5 is designed for one day. Its calorie content confirms this: 4251.2 kcal(my norm, for example, is 4000 kcal per day, so just right).
Its weight ( 2.1 kg) and the volume, of course, is not very suitable for hiking conditions, if you take dry rations for 4 days, then there will no longer be room in the backpack for anything else. However, individual elements, and the very principle of equipment, for hikers, as I have seen, are very useful. So you can perceive its contents as recommendations for completing the food "basket" of a tourist.
First, here is the complete list of contents:
Biscuits
Rice. 1.
Army bread (biscuits) made from wheat flour of the 1st grade, 2 packs of 50 grams each (there is one in the photo, because the first one has already been dealt with before the description of the analysis) for breakfast and dinner, and from wheat flour wallpaper, also 2 packs of 50 grams at lunch. As you may have guessed, they are used instead of bread.
Beef stew
Rice. 2.
Canned bacon
Rice. 3.
100 grams of fat. Muck is excellent, they say. It is recommended to use for dinner.
Dried fish
Rice. 4.
In this case, dried-cured pollock, straws. It's nutritious and doesn't take up much space. Too bad it's only 20 grams. All of them must be eaten. at lunch.
Pate
Rice. 5.
Gentle pate, made from beef liver and poultry meat, absolutely natural. 50 grams for breakfast.
Minced sausage
Rice. 6.
An interesting alternative to sausage. Also absolutely "ecological", without any chemistry. 50 grams, for dinner.
Rice with chicken and vegetables
Rice. 7.
This delicacy is recommended for breakfast. I don’t see any reason to mention the naturalness of the composition, everything seems to be like that here. Military nutritionists take good care of the health of a Russian soldier. In a package of 250 grams.
Goulash with potatoes
Rice. 8.
Actually goulash with potatoes. 250 grams for dinner.
Vegetable caviar
Rice. 9.
Caviar from vegetables, mostly squash. 100 grams recommended at lunch.
Fruit and berry concentrate
Rice. 10.
The so-called "Adapton" is a vitamin-adaptogenic drink that stimulates the immune system. After reading the composition, I called him "Slavic energy", because. there are mainly berries, roots and other elements from "grandmother's recipes". 3 bags of 25 grams. Recommended to drink at every meal by dissolving in a glass of drinking water.
Processed cheese sterilized
Rice. eleven.
80 grams of excellent processed cheese (if you look closely at the photo, you can see that I have already tasted it). Recommended for dinner.
fruit jam
Rice. 12.
Well, or jam, as you like. In general, another source of vitamins. 45 grams for breakfast.
Fruit and berry puree
Rice. 13.
In this case, applesauce. 100g, for dinner.
Bitter chocolate, black tea
Unfortunately, neither one nor the other survived to the review. But I think everyone knows what it is :) Chocolate 30 grams, for breakfast. Black tea 2 bags for lunch and dinner.
Instant coffee
Rice. 14.
This coffee is said to have a good natural taste and aroma. One sachet for breakfast.
Cream, sugar, salt, pepper
Rice. 15. 
Rice. 16. 
Rice. 17.
Cream in coffee, 1 sachet, 3 sachets of sugar (in coffee and tea), salt and pepper just in case.
Multivitamin, chewing gum
Vitaminka - Complivit you can drink at any time of the day. Chewing gum - Dirol, full pack, convenient.
Water disinfection tablets
Rice. 18.
The package contains 3 tablets "Aquabreeze". It disinfects powerfully, you can even scoop it out of a puddle. One tablet per 1 liter water. It is necessary to throw the tablet into a container with water, shake well and let stand for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove everything that has surfaced from above and drink calmly.
Portable heater
Rice. 19.
The package contains 3 tablets of dry fuel and 1 metal taganok. It is possible to heat both mugs with water (250 ml) and products immediately in the package. What is convenient, dry fuel ignites on a special grater, i.e. You don't have to waste matches. And matches, by the way, are also included in the kit:
Hunting matches
Rice. 20.
Matches are water and wind resistant (hunting). 6 pieces plus chirkash. Each match is individually and hermetically sealed, which is very practical.
Disinfectant wipes
Rice. 21.
Hand sanitizer wipes. If there is nowhere to wash your hands or nothing (or water is worth its weight in gold). In general, it is also a useful thing, war is war, and hygiene must be observed.
Paper napkins, plastic spoons, plastic knife
Rice. 22.
In my opinion, the most useless (for tourists, of course) things from this set. If napkins can still come in handy, then disposable tableware is just extra garbage. Each hiker should have his own, reusable, set of cutlery (I wrote about this in my post).
That, in fact, is all. Finally, I'll post food distribution instructions for IRP No. 5:
Rice. 23. Instructions for the distribution of products by meals
Since ancient times, when moving troops, the soldiers were followed by a convoy with food, weapons, uniforms, etc. Sometimes the convoy was larger than the troops themselves, and it was good luck to beat off the enemy convoy. The question always arose before the command of how to feed the army. For example, during the Azov campaigns of Peter I, sanitary losses reached 50%. Due to poor feeding and poor-quality water, epidemics of diphtheria and other dangerous diseases began, which mowed down soldiers better than enemy bullets. Therefore, increased attention was paid to the nutrition of the fighters.
The history of the creation of dry rations (irp)
Giving food to soldiers on a campaign, especially when it is impossible for one reason or another to cook a hot meal, dates back to very ancient times. Take even cutlery. The Russian warrior always had a spoon behind the top of his boot and could eat porridge with this spoon at a halt. The Chinese warrior, on the contrary, did not walk in boots. But bamboo grew well and quickly. Therefore, the Chinese could always tear off two sticks from the nearest bamboo and eat their portion of food. In ancient Rome, a soldier was given about 800-1000 grams of cereal per day, which he could cook and eat at a halt. The nomadic Mongols cut raw meat and put it under the saddle of their horse, the meat was salted from horse sweat and then did not spoil for a long time.
The dry ration industry in the army received a strong impetus after the invention of meat preservation, i.e. ancestors of modern canned food. Already in 1810, the British fleet began to switch from corned beef, which was taken on board, to stew, which was quite advanced at that time.
The standardization of dry rations began with the Boer War in the early 20th century. There were many new trends in that war. Trenches, snipers and even concentration camps are all inventions of war. The same invention was dry rations (dry rations). In the Russian Imperial, and then in the Red Army, this issue was constantly under the control of the highest command bodies. So, the standard of dry rations for a Red Army soldier was adopted shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War.
With the outbreak of war, the requirements for dry rations were revised, but no matter how strange it may sound, the food supply in the Red Army was better than in the Wehrmacht. The only "but" - dry rations in the Red Army were often issued with concentrates that had to be cooked on fire, at the same time, this ensured the longevity of food storage. The author personally tried pea porridge produced in 1943: the porridge was completely preserved and did not deteriorate at all for 60 years, unlike the same IRP of the Russian army, which completely deteriorated at the age of 10 and was contemptuously thrown away. It is impossible not to mention a rather interesting fact: during the war, pilots were not given rye bread, but only wheat. This was due to the fact that rye bread can cause flatulence, and at high altitude, under conditions of reduced pressure, the pilot's intestines could break.
Subsequently, samples, recipes and packaging of individual diets were improved and led to the form that we are seeing now.
Main purpose
The purpose of dry rations (individual diet) is to provide food in conditions where it is not possible to cook hot food for the entire unit or group of people. Dry rations are issued for one meal or for the whole day (each country has a different attitude to this topic). Also, rations are issued for one fighter or can be issued for a squad at once.
dry soldering requirements
Dry soldering is subject to the following requirements:
- Durability of storage;
- Ease of cooking/heating food;
- Hypoallergenic food;
- Protection from the external environment. The main protection and increase in shelf life is the sterilization of the product. The author somehow received a ration in which one of the items was made with a marriage - the top cover lay skewed, and the product turned out to be open. While the ration was in the package, the marriage was not visible. Since the items are packed hermetically, there was no smell. But as soon as the package was opened, a disgusting stench went. Most of the rations had to be buried, the comrades-in-arms shared the food well;
- The ration must be arranged in such a way that it is enough to saturate for the stated time at the stated loads. For example, the marine ration "Marine pro" is designed for a day per person, at the same time it is made specifically for use at sea and represents three tiles per person per day.
Perhaps a dry ration is not as tasty as food freshly prepared at home, but it performs the main task - maintaining human strength in certain extreme conditions.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of dry rations are visible to the naked eye. They are comfortable, sterile, designed for use in the field. Let, as one of the author’s army acquaintances said, “everything is sterile in the field, everything is edible in the field,” but the hygiene factor still cannot be discounted.
The disadvantages of rations are also well known: in any case, this is food cooked once, the taste is very different from the taste of freshly prepared food. Rations are monotonous and you will not constantly eat them.
Varieties of dry rations
Dry rations meet different criteria. There are rations designed for a day for one person, there are rations for one meal, and there are rations issued for a unit.
per diem
The concept of the Russian army involves the issuance and use of dry rations intended for daily use. However, the author can say from his own experience that the standard IRP-P (everyday) can easily be stretched for three days without much effort.
Individual
In other countries, a different approach is used, namely: rations designed for a single meal. For example, in the US, law enforcement agencies are supplied with a ration called MRE (Meal Ready-to Eat), that is, food ready to eat. One package of rations is designed for a single dose (breakfast, lunch and dinner are three packages, and not one, as in Russia). For example, in the attached photo of the American combat ration, the inscription "single use only" is clearly visible, that is, "for a single use."
"Civilian" rations
It is also possible to single out the so-called civilian rations into a separate category. For example, in Russia, grocery stores sell a lot of cooked food, modeled on dry rations. Such food is hermetically packed, sterilized and has a long shelf life.
You can also recall specific diets, for example, for a special contingent (prisoners).
The main compositions of dry rations
The basis of individual diets are canned meat, meat and vegetables and vegetables. Also, the composition of the IRP includes tea, coffee, milk powder, and in some cases sugar, salt, pepper. The composition of the Russian ration includes biscuits, and, for example, Belarusian - dry bread.
Necessarily, Russian rations include means for warming up (matches, dry fuel and taganok), hygiene products (napkins, chewing gum) and for disinfecting water (such as Aquatabs and similar). You can drink water disinfected with these tablets, personally verified.
The composition of rations does not include perishable products, as well as products that can cause allergic or other painful reactions, alcohol.
Dry rations from different countries
Each country produces dry rations according to the eating habits of its soldiers. For example, Chinese or Korean IRPs consist of rice or instant noodles, and the food is heated in a flameless chemical manner. One set is for one meal.
The composition of the ration for the army of the Republic of Belarus includes canned food sold in ordinary stores: they are not specially produced, and rations are completed with “civilian” products. However, even the President of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko does not disdain to personally try the Belarusian dry ration.
Dry rations in European countries often include food that in Russia would be recognized as a delicacy. For example, Spain offers tuna and canned fruit.
Summing up, we can say that dry rations are a very correct and necessary invention that helps people in combat conditions, in extreme and dangerous situations. I think that one or two IRPs must be in everyone's apartment as an emergency reserve. Just in case.
If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.
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