Why do people hoard goods during war?

Answer 1

Food and drink during the Revolutionary War period were primitive, but possessed enough basic nutritional elements to keep American troops moving forward. In the field, a soldier's daily menu featured bread, meat, and a "gill" of dry beans as the primary main courses. They also received rations of rum. Ironically, drummers played Reveille to awaken the troops early each morning, a feature of military life that probably did not mix well with the rum.

The common Revolutionary War combo meal of bread and meat almost sounds tolerable, but quickly loses its appeal upon closer scrutiny. The bread was extremely hard because it was crudely made with only two ingredients, water and flour. Army planners ordered bread to be prepared in this manner so that it would not spoil during long journeys.

Pieces of pork or beef were soaked in salt water, which acted as a preservative. Most soldiers prepared their own meals, so they boiled the meat with the dried beans for quite a lengthy period of time. The mixture was cooked until some of the salt was boiled out of the meat, and the beans softened.

This salty stew is indicative of the type of food that sustained life during the Revolutionary War.

Drink-wise, soldiers usually drank water from canteens, or rations of rum that were distributed by the officers. When troops were issued rum rations, they were instructed to mix it with water prior to drinking it. Historical records indicate that there were various ways to earn extra rations of rum:

* Holidays

* Victories

* Defeats

* Performing extra duty

For desset, earthy recipes such as "A Nice Indian Pudding" were all the rage. This recipe is from "American Cookery" by Amelia Simmons, the first cookbook written and published in America in 1796:

* "3 pints scalded milk,

* 7 spoons fine Indian meal,

* stir together while hot, let stand till cooled;

* add 7 eggs,

* half pound of raisins,

* 4 ounces butter,

* spice and sugar,

* bake one and a half hour."

Other foods that early Americans relied upon heavily include corn, mutton, bacon and corn meal. Meats were frequently smoked or salted and made into jerky. Vegetables and fruits were canned to help settlers and soldiers survive rough winter months. Fish and small game were caught and immediately cooked to ease consumption of stored food

Answer 2

people hoard because they think that they are going to use the materials again