K-rations
Wartime field meals
K-rations were compact, ready-to-eat meals issued to American soldiers during World War II, designed for short-term use in combat conditions.
Each daily ration came in three boxes—breakfast, dinner, and supper—containing canned meat or cheese, biscuits, candy, and cigarettes.
The K stood for Ancel Keys, the physiologist who developed the ration.
Though lightweight and portable, soldiers often found them monotonous and lacking in calories for sustained combat.
U.S. military slang
- infantryGround combat troops
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- D-Day1944 Normandy invasion
- NormandyNorthern French coastal region
Pacific Theater · European Theater · Battle of the Bulge · Eisenhower · Patton · foxhole · frontline · mess kit
Measures of food energy
- proteinFolded amino chain
- carbohydratesSugar-based energy compounds
- energyPower to do work
- sustenanceMeans of living
nourishment · meal replacement · nonperishable · preserved · shelf-stable · provisions · subsistence · fortified
Tightly packed together
- portableAble to be carried
- waterproofImpervious to moisture
- wax-coatedCovered in waxy layer
- cardboard boxRigid paper container
self-contained · pocket-sized · lightweight · stackable · canned · opener · spoon · cellophane
Small, leavened quick breads
- chocolate barCocoa candy rectangle
- canned meatPreserved flesh in tins
- cheeseFermented milk solid
- sugarCrystalline carbohydrate sweetener
chewing gum · cigarettes · bouillon · hard candy · fruit bar · crackers · ham · matches
Combat ration abbreviation
- survival kitsPreassembled emergency supply collections
- emergency preparednessPlanning for potential crises
- preservation methodsWays to prevent spoilage
GI
U.S. military slang
Normandy · Pacific Theater · European Theater · Battle of the Bulge · Eisenhower · Patton · foxhole · frontline · mess kit · supply drops
calories
Measures of food energy
- proteinFolded amino chain
- carbohydratesSugar-based energy compounds
- energyPower to do work
sustenance · nourishment · meal replacement · nonperishable · preserved · shelf-stable · provisions · subsistence · fortified · concentrated
compact
Tightly packed together
- portableAble to be carried
- waterproofImpervious to moisture
- wax-coatedCovered in waxy layer
cardboard box · self-contained · pocket-sized · lightweight · stackable · canned · opener · spoon · cellophane · weather-resistant
biscuits
Small, leavened quick breads
- chocolate barCocoa candy rectangle
- canned meatPreserved flesh in tins
- cheeseFermented milk solid
sugar · chewing gum · cigarettes · bouillon · hard candy · fruit bar · crackers · ham · matches · toilet paper
MRE
Combat ration abbreviation
- survival kitsPreassembled emergency supply collections
- emergency preparednessPlanning for potential crises
- preservation methodsWays to prevent spoilage
- military rationsMRE, ready-to-eat meals, ready-to-eat, ship's biscuit, hot chow
- rationsMREs, MRE, hardtack, pemmican, provisions
- infantryfoot soldiers, foot soldier, rifleman, riflemen, infantryman
K-rationsgourmet meal
Expertly crafted fine food
fine dining · farm-to-table · haute cuisine · cordon bleu · slow food
K-rationsbanquet
Formal celebratory meal
feast · dinner party · Sunday roast · holiday meal · picnic