Hachis de Viande, French Army, 1905

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Hachis de Viande, French Army, 1905

 

Now that we’ve had a primer on viande de boucherie, let’s see how it was used in some recipes of “The Great War”.  Presented here are a couple of recipes for hachis. As noted in an earlier post, the English word “hash” derives from the French hachis, a dish of chopped ingredients.

 

In the French Army during the pre-World War 1 period and in the early days of the war, squads prepared their own meals while in the field. The early meal of the day was the “morning soup”. During the morning meal, preparations the next meal were also performed. It was intended that the morning’s activities would consist mainly of a long march, followed by a break for the midday meal. The earlier preparations would insure that a meal could be quickly prepared once the tired and hungry soldiers halted for the meal break. This system worked well enough during peacetime maneuvers, and for what was anticipated to be a brief war of rapid movement. The war in France quickly ground down to an immobile and contracted slugfest where artillery and machine guns made any movement above ground level risky at best. Even the mere presence of smoke from cooking fires in the first line of trenches would gain the attention of German artillery observers and snipers. In such an environment, the French Army’s de-centralized system of field cooking proved to be highly inadequate. It would not be until 1915 that the French Army employed rolling field kitchens, but problems with feeding the troops in the front lines continued throughout the war.

 

Meat and Beans Hash, French Army, 1905

(Hachis de viande aux haricots)

 

The meat for this meal was cooked together with the morning soup, then de-boned and cut into small pieces.

 

To reproduce this recipe, use the meat to make broth. Let the broth cool and skim the fat. Presoak the beans overnight or in the morning, at least 2 hours prior to cooking. Drain the beans and discard the soaking water before adding the beans to the other ingredients.

US                           Metric                     Ingredients

24 oz                       640 g                       viande de boucherie

70 oz*                          2000 g                     potatoes

14 oz*                         400 g                       cabbage

14 oz*                         400 g                       carrots

7 oz*                            200 g                       leeks

7 oz*                            200 g                       onions

4 oz                         120 g                       lard

12 oz                       340 g                       dried beans

to taste                         to taste                            salt & pepper

68 fl oz                    2 liters                     broth

or

34 fl oz                    1 liter                       broth

34 fl oz                    1 liter                       water

 

* Weight of ingredients prior to peeling and coring

 

Procedure

1.      Boil the meat until tender, 1-2 hours. De-bone if necessary and cut into small pieces, about 1/2 to 3/8    

      inch (1 to 1.5 cm).

2.      Cut the potatoes, cabbage, carrots and leeks into pieces about 1/2 to 3/8 inch (1 to 1.5 cm) in size.

3.      Heat the lard in a pan over medium heat and add the onions.

4.      When the onions have taken on a golden color, add two liters of broth or 1 liter of broth and 1 liter of water.

5.      Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6.      Add the beans. Simmer until the beans are nearly cooked.

7.      About 20 minutes before the beans are fully cooked, add the potatoes, cabbage, carrots and leeks.

8.      Cook until all of the vegetables are tender.

9.      Place the vegetables and broth into bowls, and add the meat on top.

 

Meat and Potato Hash, French Army, 1905

(Hachis  de viande aux pommes de terre)

 

The ingredients and preparation for this recipe is quite similar to the meat and beans hash recipe. Some salt pork is used for the fat, and the beans are replaced by an additional 800 grams/28 ounces of potatoes. 

 

US                           Metric                     Ingredients

24 oz                       640 g                       viande de boucherie

1½ oz                      40 g                         lard

4 oz                         120 g                       salt pork

100 oz*                   2800 g                     potatoes

14 oz*                     400 g                       cabbage

14 oz*                     400 g                       carrots

7 oz*                       200 g                       leeks

7 oz*                       200 g                       onions

to taste                        to taste                         salt & pepper

to taste                        to taste                         spices**

68 fl oz                    2 liters                          broth

or

34 fl oz                    1 liter                            broth

34 fl oz                    1 liter                            water

 

* Weight of ingredients prior to peeling and coring

** Dried spices or dried herbs commonly found in French cuisine of the time may be used, such as thyme, marjoram, bay leaf, parsley, tarragon, etc.

 

 

Procedure

1.      Boil the meat until tender, 1-2 hours. De-bone if necessary and cut into small pieces, about 1/2 to 3/8 inch (1 to 1.5 cm).

2.      Cut the cabbage, carrots and leeks into pieces about 1/2 to 3/8 inch (1 to 1.5 cm) in size.

3.      Cut the salt pork into small pieces of about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) in size.

4.      Peel the potatoes, leave whole and boil until cooked.

5.      While the potatoes are cooking, in a separate pot, heat the lard over medium heat and add the onions.

6.      When the onions have taken on a golden color, add two liters of broth or 1 liter each of broth and water.

7.      Add the cabbage, carrots and leeks and cook until tender.

8.      Season to taste with salt, pepper and spices.

9.      Add the meat.

10.  Drain the potatoes and mash.

11.  Place the mashed potatoes in bowls and pour the meat and vegetables on top.

                           

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