Welcome to the History Blog
Our summer class topic is ‘Food Glorious Food’
Over this topic, we will explore the following big questions:
Where does my food come from?
How does my garden grow?
How can we feed the world?
During History, we will explore food in the past and we will travel back in time to World War 1 and find out about their diet.
Task
Watch a video here about Private Arthur Biggs showing his field kitchen in the British trenches.
Answer this big question on the blog:
What was the diet like for people in World War 1?
Find out more facts about food in World War 1 by reading information and watching another video here.
Use the information you found out to help you with your answer.
People in World War 1 did not waste any food they had on their plate. They ate choclate potato cake. People did not eat as much as they usually did. EVEN the King and Queen did not eat as much as they could.
Good morning Miss,
The diet was healthy so people were strong enough to fight in the wars.They ate bread, meat and vegetables in order to stay healthy.
The cost of food more than doubled during the war years.
Lots of food was sent away to feed soldiers fitting in the war.
Fresh fruit, veg, meat, and bread wear hard to find. There long were long queues out side shops.
In 1918 news lows send by the Government introduced rationing. People were only allowed certain amouts of sugar, meat, butter and milk.
Good facts so far, why wasn’t there lots of different types of food around during this time?
The diet for the people in World War 1 was not as delicious as today because they were told to ration their food and use everything they had to cook food ( which they got by rationing ). They would cook bread with dried parsnips, bake a cake with potatoes and even make pudding with onions, potatoes and chocolate.The army would get grand stew which was basically boiling water with carrots, parsnips, potatoes and salt which the army actually liked because no one was aloud to be fussy about their food during World War 1.
Great research Samuel, you’re right, they had to use the food they had to make things. What do you think of pudding with onions, potatoes and chocolate?! Would you like to try it?!
A lot of food was brought from another countries by ships. During the World War I those ships were sinked and food ended up at the bottom of the sea. Without these supplies there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone.
During World War I, food was rationed to prevent food shortages
and hoarding of food. Foods that were rationed were sugar, meat,
butter, cheese and margarine. Ration cards were issued and people had to register with their butcher and grocer to purchase these foods.
Good findings Chloe, yes the ships were destroyed causing a lack of food, that’s why food was so limited. We are very lucky to have the food choices we have today!
In World War 1, people at home and soldiers on battlefields and pilots had to ration their food, because there was less of it around. One of the reasons was that German submarines and warships sunk most of the ships carrying food to Britain.
Foods that were rationed were milk, bread, butter, sugar and meat. The government wanted everyone to have the right amount of food. Potatoes were not rationed because potatoes were very common. And people had to start growing their own food and making their own bread. I would definitely not like to eat potato and chocolate pudding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you sure Sebastian?! It may be tasty!!! ?
Diet of a soldier during WWI included bully beef (caned corned beef), bread and biscuits, but since suplies were running low the rations were significantly cut. The food available changed, too – at the end of 1916 the main food was a pea-soup with a few lumps of horsemeat.
Since 1917 Germany introduced unrestricted submarine warfare which resulted in serious food shortages.
Since 1918 Britain began rationing so everyone had a fair amount of food. Even King George and Queen Mary had rationbooks!
As the war progressed, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat got harder to get. Recipes changed, too, and inculded leftovers and rationed food.
Source:
http://www.eastsussexww1.org.uk/food-first-world-war/index.html
http://www.eastsussexww1.org.uk/food-first-world-war/index.html
Interesting facts Helena, thanks for the website links.
People in the First World War never waste food. If they wanted to do something sweet, they made a mixture of potatoes and chocolate to make pudding. During the war, people had less food because the ships were attacked and dumped and a lot of food was sent to soldiers fighting in the war. People started growing their own vegetables. Everyone got a book that was supposed to help people survive, every family got a portion of food per week but it was not enough. Even the king and queen had to save food.
Great facts Karolina, I really do not fancy that potato and chocolate pudding at all! But ever nowadays days, it is important not to waste food, don’t you think?
Well done Karolina, imagine if we had to grow all of our own vegetables!
Yes Mrs. Casey I was thinking the same thing. It’s never good to waste food but right now, when we shouldn’t go to the shops too often, we have to be especially careful not to waste it.
Lots of the food during WW1 was at the bottom of the ocean instead of in peoples stomachs., This was because of the U Boats sinking the food supply ships. Especially tea, sugar and wheat. So for bread they had to use dried turnips, which does not sound tasty to me!
The soldiers were always mad because their food was either spilled and mixed with mud, cold, or not enough to go around.
The people not fighting had to grow their own vegetables with any land that they could find.
You’re right Julian, what a difficult time it was!
Soldiers in the war were critical of the quantity and the quality of food they received. A total of 3,240,948 tons of food was sent from Britain to the soldiers fighting in France and Belgium during the First World War. The main food was now a pea-soup with a few lumps of horsemeat. Kitchen staff eventually had to use weeds such as nettles in soups and stews.The battalion’s kitchen staff had just two large vats were the food was made. As a result, everything coooked tasted of something else ,soldiers often complained that their tea tasted of vegetables. Providing fresh food was difficult. It took 8 days for bread to reach the soldiers so it was stale, so were the biscuits and the soldiers attempted to solve this problem by adding whatever was available, and boiling the mixture up in a bag.
Imagine eating soup with weeds and nettles in Orla!!!
Soldiers in the Western Front were very critical of the quantity and the quality of food they received. The bulk of their diet trenches was bully beef (canned corn beef), bread and biscuits. By the winter of 1916 flour was in such short supply that bread was being made from dried ground turnips.
Lots of people in the war never had much food and had to survive on what they had. For example only 1 teabag and only 1 egg! That doesn’t sound at all fun to me!
Foods from 1914
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They were given meat and vegetables but it didn’t last long in the winter 1916 they ran out so they had to eat some of the food from the emergency kit witch has cheese biscuits and meat. The soldiers got free meals they get stew ,meat or veggies sometimes they have to fight so the food gets cold or the pot falls down and even mud gets in so that means they can’t eat that much food . Food was carried by ships but the Germans were attacking them at the same time so they didn’t get that much as they were expecting. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and bread were hard to find at that time . In 1918 new laws were made by the government like rationing. People were only allowed a certain amounts of sugar, meat, flower, butter and milk. Richer families discovered what hunger was like but the poor said they were better fed than before. Ration cards could only be used in certain shops. Families had to say which shop they are going to buy their food from. Anyone found cheating could be fined or sent to prison. The government tried to control the price of food. Anyone who sold above the set rate could face fines.
Wow Chloe, you have been doing a lot of research! Well done. This was very interesting to read. It’s so interesting to hear of how things were so different back then.
Lots of food was sent away to feed soldiers fighting in the war. There was less food arriving because ships carrying supplies were attacked by German submarines.Fresh Fruit vegetables meat and bread were hard to find.There were long queues outside shops.In 1918 new laws set by the government introduced rationing.
Good research Gabriella.
Well done Ethan and Ophelia, it is very interesting to hear how people lived so long ago!
In the trenches they didn’t have any food they needed a ration book which had the food they needed like 200g of meat and 300g of wheat and 100g of tea. They said they ate chocolate potato pudding too.
People in the World War 1 did not waste any of their food and they made what they could, even out of two things. Even the King and the Queen had a diet!
Well done Louis and Emi, food was definitely not wasted!!
Q1. The food comes from seas from other countries.
Q2. They grow from the seed but also needs sun and water
Q3. It’s to eat less food like bread and meat
Thanks Angie, have you ever tried planting vegetables?
Hello Miss Jones
Unfortunately I cannot watch the videos from BBC in France so I went on the internet and found some facts about the food that the soldiers could eat in the trenches during the world war 1
At the beginning of the war the British soldiers were given 10 ounces of meat and 8 ounces of vegetables a day.
Then there was less food available so they only had 6 ounces of meat a day.
Their diet was mainly caned corned beef bread and biscuits. By the winter of 1916 , flour became very hard to find that bread would be made with dried ground turnips. The main food was then a pea soup with a bit of horse meat .
The problem was the soldiers only had 2 large saucepans in which everything was prepared so they always complained that the things tasted something else, for example they complained that their tea tasted like vegetables ! They had almost no fresh food.
What interesting research year 3 -you have been working very hard! Potato pudding sounds a bit strange…! 🙂
Sorry to hear you can’t access the videos Penelope. Well done for finding out your own research. Do you think you would enjoy this type of diet?!
A lot off food was send away to feed soldiers fighting in the war.
There was less food arriving because ships carrying supplies were attacked by German submarines.
Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and bread were hard to find.
In 1918 new laws introduced rationing.
People were only allowed a certain amount of sugar,meat,flour, butter and milk.
Well done, Jiana!