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A field kitchen (also known as a battlefield kitchen, expeditionary kitchen, flying kitchen, or goulash cannon) is a kitchen used primarily by militaries to provide hot food to troops near the front line or in temporary encampments. Designed to be easily and quickly moved, they are usually mobile kitchens or mobile canteens, though static and tent-based field kitchens exist and are widely used.
The first field kitchens were carried in four-wheeled wagons (such as chuckwagons) by military units on campaigns throughout history, often part of larger wagon trails, used as late as the 19th century. By the 20th century, smaller two-wheeled trailers became common, especially with the invention of the locomotive.
Karl Rudolf Fissler of Idar-Oberstein invented a mobile field kitchen in 1892 that the Germans came to refer to as a Gulaschkanone ("goulash cannon"), because the chimney of the stove resembled ordnance pieces [1] when disassembled and limbered for towing. As technology advanced, larger trailers evolved as horses were phased out in favor of motorized vehicles more capable of towing heavier loads. In World War II, the mobile canteen was used as a morale booster in the United Kingdom, fitting in with the culture of the tea break and in particular as a result of the successful wartime experiment of the tea lady on productivity and morale. [2] The larger mobile kitchens (now commonly called "flying kitchens" because of the greater speed with which they can be deployed) can service entire battalions of troops.
In the present, many field kitchens are mostly either mobile canteens or deployable field kitchens. Many of these have facilities similar to actual kitchen facilities, and may be designed to serve either fresh meals or hot food rations intended to be prepared in a field kitchen.
A trailer kitchen, rolling kitchen, or chow wagon is a field kitchen that is or can be pulled by a vehicle, pack animal, or person in the form of a cart, wagon, or trailer. They typically have two or four wheels and may be a single unit or two separate units connected to each other. Such trailers may have wheels with the intent that they are pulled to their destinations, or they may be assembled at their destination with the wheels only intended to make it easier to move around if needed. Most trailer kitchens are open-air, though some vehicle-towed trailer kitchens may be enclosed.
An assault kitchen or vehicle kitchen is a field kitchen that is installed in a vehicle. It is usually in the rear compartment of the vehicle, which may be a military light utility vehicle, a van, or a truck. They may function similar to a commercial food truck, or they may simply be a kitchen in the back of a vehicle without dedicated serving functions. Assault kitchens allow for meals to be prepared while moving and without the need to wait for a field kitchen to be set up, allowing for the quick preparation and serving of hot meals to troops and, if necessary, a quick extraction of the kitchen and food supplies from a dangerous area. [3] [4]
A deployable kitchen or camp kitchen is a field kitchen that is deployed as a static structure. Though they are not necessarily mobile kitchens, they are designed to be unpacked, assembled, and repacked with relative haste. They may be as small as a set of outdoor cooking equipment that can take only a few minutes to set up; as basic as folding tables with a portable kitchen range, ration heating unit, and food containers; or as large as a tent-based kitchen with a full set of appliances that may take up to an hour to fully set up for food preparation. [3]
A containerized kitchen, modular kitchen, or configurable kitchen is a field kitchen that is enclosed within, or in a similar configuration to, a freight container, typically a shipping container or semi-trailer. They are very similar to deployable kitchens, but larger, usually not assembled by hand, and intended to feed more individuals or prepare more types of food than what is possible with other types of field kitchens. They are typically modular buildings that can be expanded if necessary. [5] [6]
Some modern militaries use mobile facilities that are not field kitchens, but supplement them or are components of them, such as large tents for dining halls. The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency lists several such facilities used by the United States Armed Forces, including the Multi-Temperature Refrigerated Container System, a containerized freezer; the Food Sanitation Center, a dedicated dishwashing tent; and the Containerized Ice Making System, a containerized icemaker designed to mass-produce ice. [3] [6]
Field kitchens are also used in non-military or non-combat roles. Field kitchens are deployed by militaries or aid agencies to feed groups of refugees, displaced persons, or first responders as part of humanitarian aid, disaster response, and emergency management operations. [7] Field kitchens are also sometimes set up for historical reenactments, preferably with genuine field kitchen appliances or newer reproductions, though modern equivalents are sometimes used, especially if the field kitchen appliances fail. [8]
Civilian versions of field kitchens have also been set up at events where dedicated food service facilities are unavailable, such as at protests; for example, several were set up in Maidan Nezalezhnosti during Euromaidan, [9] and one was set up in Confederation Square during the Canada convoy protests. [10]
Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers. Containerization, also referred as container stuffing or container loading, is the process of unitization of cargoes in exports. Containerization is the predominant form of unitization of export cargoes, as opposed to other systems such as the barge system or palletization. The containers have standardized dimensions. They can be loaded and unloaded, stacked, transported efficiently over long distances, and transferred from one mode of transport to another—container ships, rail transport flatcars, and semi-trailer trucks—without being opened. The handling system is mechanized so that all handling is done with cranes and special forklift trucks. All containers are numbered and tracked using computerized systems.
An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, or a freight container, (or simply “container”) is a large standardized container designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different modes of transport – such as from ships to trains to trucks – without unloading and reloading their cargo. Intermodal containers are primarily used to store and transport materials and products efficiently and securely in the global containerized intermodal freight transport system, but smaller numbers are in regional use as well. It is like a boxcar that does not have wheels. Based on size alone, up to 95% of intermodal containers comply with ISO standards, and can officially be called ISO containers. These containers are known by many names: cargo container, sea container, ocean container, container van or sea van, sea can or C can, or MILVAN, or SEAVAN. The term CONEX (Box) is a technically incorrect carry-over usage of the name of an important predecessor of the ISO containers: the much smaller steel CONEX boxes used by the U.S. Army.
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained individual United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It is intended for use by American service members in combat or field conditions where other food is not available. MREs have also been distributed to civilians as humanitarian daily rations during natural disasters and wars.
A flameless ration heater (FRH), colloquially an MRE heater, is a form of self-heating food packaging included in U.S. military Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) rations since 1993.
A railroad car, railcar, railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck, also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a vehicle used for the carrying of cargo or passengers on a rail transport network. Such cars, when coupled together and hauled by one or more locomotives, form a train. Alternatively, some passenger cars are self-propelled in which case they may be either single railcars or make up multiple units.
A Combat Support Hospital is a type of modern United States Army field hospital. The CSH is transportable by aircraft and trucks and is normally delivered to the Corps Support Area in standard military-owned demountable containers (MILVAN) cargo containers. Once transported, it is assembled by the staff into a tent hospital to treat patients. Depending upon the operational environment, a CSH might also treat civilians and wounded enemy soldiers. The CSH is the successor to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH).
A mess kit is a collection of silverware and cookware designed for use by military personnel for food and military rations. They may also be used during camping and backpacking. There are many varieties of mess kits that militaries issue to their personnel that later become available to consumers.
United States military ration refers to the military rations provided to sustain United States Armed Forces service members, including field rations and garrison rations, and the military nutrition research conducted in relation to military food. U.S. military rations are often made for quick distribution, preparation, and eating in the field and tend to have long storage times in adverse conditions due to being thickly packaged or shelf-stable.
A chuckwagon or chuck wagon is a horse-drawn wagon operating as a mobile field kitchen and frequently covered with a white tarp, also called a camp wagon or round-up wagon. It was historically used for the storage and transportation of food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the United States and Canada. They were included in wagon trains for settlers and traveling workers such as cowboys or loggers. In modern times, chuckwagons feature in special cooking competitions and events. Chuckwagons are also used in a type of competition known as chuckwagon racing.
A food truck is a large motorized vehicle or trailer equipped to store, transport, cook, prepare, serve, and/or sell food.
The K-ration was a United States military ration consisting of three separately boxed meal units: breakfast, dinner, and supper. It was originally intended as an individually packaged daily ration for issue to airborne troops, tank crews, motorcycle couriers, and other mobile forces for short durations.
A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine, but it has also been used to describe alternate care sites used in disasters and other emergency situations.
A field ration is a type of prepackaged military ration designed to be easily and quickly prepared and consumed in the field, in combat, at the front line, or where eating facilities are otherwise unavailable. Field rations are primarily used by military forces, though they are also sometimes distributed to civilians as part of humanitarian aid and emergency management. They differ from garrison rations and field kitchen provisions, which are intended for where proper meals can be supplied and prepared with relative ease and safety, such as in the rear where logistics are steady and fresh food can be supplied. They are similar to, but distinct from, other purpose-designed long-lasting types of food or rations such as emergency rations, humanitarian daily rations, and camping food.
The Individual Meal Pack or IMP is one type of field ration used by the Canadian Forces. The IMP is designed so that a continuous diet provides all the nutrition needed to sustain a service member in the field. The IMP meets Canada's nutrition requirements, with the exception of calcium and folic acid, which are not significant if the consumption period of rations is less than 30 (consecutive) days. IMPs provide 1,200–1,400 calories (5.0–5.9 MJ) per meal.
The 5-in-1 ration was a United States military ration issued from 1942 to the end of World War II. As its name implies, the 5-in-1 provided the needs of five soldiers in a single ration package. Procurement ended with the war, though remaining stocks were issued to troops after the war, as well as distributed as surplus in civilian feeding programs overseas. The 5-in-1 specification remained in effect after the war, and was again used in 1948 for a new field ration.
The A-ration is a United States military ration consisting of fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods. A-rations may be served in dining facilities, prepared in the field using field kitchens, or prepared at a fixed facility and transported to field locations in containers. Its modern successor is the Unitized Group Ration – A (UGR-A), which combines multiple types of rations, including the A-ration, under one unified system.
Military rations, operational rations, or military provisions are goods issued to sustain the needs of military personnel. As their name suggests, military rations have historically been, and often still are, subject to rationing, with each individual receiving specific amounts from available supplies. Military-issued goods and the rationing of such goods has existed since the beginnings of organized warfare.
The B-ration was a United States military ration consisting of packaged and preserved food intended to be prepared in field kitchens by cooks. Its modern successor is the Unitized Group Ration – M (UGR-M), which combines multiple types of rations, including the B-ration, under one unified system.
Force Provider is a deployable bare base support system developed by the United States Army to provide rest and relief facilities for soldiers. Each containerized package provides air conditioned/heated billeting, dining, laundry, latrine and recreational facilities for a battalion-sized force of up to 550 soldiers and the 50 personnel required to operate it. Based around the use of TEMPER tents, it includes the capability to store and distribute 80,000 gallons of water, 40,000 gallons of fuel, and generate 1.1 megawatts of continuous power. It takes on average three to four days to prepare a Force Provider camp site, typically 10 acres of land, then five to six days to set it up and make the camp operational. Six packages can be combined to support a brigade-size force of 3,300 soldiers. Although its primary mission is to support front-line soldiers, Force Provider can be utilized for other missions such as humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
The Unitized Group Ration (UGR) is a United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense (DoD). It is intended to sustain groups of American service members with access to a field kitchen, serving as a field ration and a garrison ration. It is the modern successor to several older alphabetized rations—namely the A-ration, B-ration, and T-ration—combining them under a single unified system. UGRs are designed to meet the Military Daily Recommended Allowance when averaged over a 5 to 10 day period, with each meal providing between 1,300 and 1,450 kcal.
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