Patriot’s Day and the Boston Marathon
Making stew, Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Patriot’s Day is big here in the Boston area complete with reenactments of the first battle of American Revolution in the morning and the start of the marathon later in the morning. Starting at 3 am reenactors dressed as British troops march from downtown Boston to the countryside of Lexington where the Revolution began. Some say the British may have responded in a particularly brutal undisciplined manner toward the minute men because they were tired and hungry and wanted to disperse the patriots and sit down and eat. We have a rough estimate that the complete one day rations for a British soldier at the time of the Battle of Lexington and Concord would have included:
1 ½ pounds of Flour or Bread
1 pound Beef
½ pound of Pork
¼ pint of Pease
1 ounce of Butter
1 ounce of Rice
1 or 2 cups of Rum
Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
1-pound boneless stewing beef
salt-and-pepper
flour
drippings
1 ½ cups water
3 diced potatoes
3 sliced onions
3 diced carrots
1 cup green beans
Instructions
Cut meat into inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in flour and brown in drippings. Add water, cover, and simmer until almost tender, about 2 to 3 hours. Add vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and continue to simmer, covered, until vegetables are done. Stir occasionally.
Money-Saving Dishes published in the Philadelphia Tribune February 19, 1949
