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Dining Aboard a German U-Boat: Culinary Exploration of World War I
Last week, we delved into the dining experiences aboard the Lusitania, the ill-fated ocean liner torpedoed during World War I. This week, we take a different route by exploring the culinary life of men aboard the U-boat that fired the torpedo, particularly focusing on a German recipe for sauerkraut soup from 1915.
Wartime Cooking: A Reflection on Food Resources
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Germany produced several cookbooks during the Great War, catering to both civilians on the homefront and soldiers in the trenches. While a specific U-boat cookbook was elusive, the Kriegs Kochbuch (War Cookbook), published in 1915, offers a glimpse into wartime cuisine before severe food shortages began to plague Germany. Many recipes consist of basic ingredients that could feasibly be found in the confined and resource-limited space of a U-boat.
The sauerkrautsuppe, or sauerkraut soup, recipe exemplifies the simplistic nature of wartime cooking. It instructs one to replace the pickles from a previous recipe with sauerkraut, indicating wartime substitutions while leaving some crucial ingredient measurements vague—an issue that often arises in older recipes.
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Hellofresh, the video sponsor, contrasts this by providing modern recipes with precise and pre-portioned ingredients to eliminate unnecessary prep work. Their offerings include a range of meals, from quick options to gourmet experiences, all while ensuring no ingredients go to waste.
Ingredients in Wartime: Navigating Scarcity
To replicate the wartime U-boat experience in cooking, one would typically require butter, flour, water, vinegar, salt, and sauerkraut—in this case, a hefty quantity to ensure a hearty soup. At the outset of a mission, a German U-boat would have ample ingredients, including various types of meat, dairy, and vegetables. However, as the mission progressed, many perishable goods would spoil, reducing the crew's options to primarily canned, dried, or pickled fare.
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Conditions inside the U-boat were far from ideal. Space was limited and often damp, and with little ventilation, food items frequently succumbed to mold. The resulting combination of humidity and diesel fuel fumes created unpleasant eating conditions, contributing to crew dissatisfaction with their meals.
Life Aboard: Space and Food Storage
The average German U-boat had a remarkable design that included engine rooms, torpedo storage, and crew quarters, yet the cooking facilities were cramped and stark. Fresh food was stored wherever possible, from beneath bunks to overhead pipes, and sometimes even in the ammunition rooms to keep perishables cooler. Despite these efforts, fresh ingredients would only last about ten days, leading to reliance on durable food supplies.
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Culinary Creativity: Making Do at Sea
Crew members often lamented the monotony of their meals, which usually included canned goods and hard tack. As one officer recalled in an interview, the constant diet became unbearable, often leading to inventive ways to secure better food. For instance, a U-boat crew once embarked on a successful hunt for wild goats on an uninhabited island, resulting in a celebratory feast. However, such opportunities were rare.
Following the sinking of the Lusitania, U-boats were known to scavenge from merchant vessels, enhancing their supplies with commodities from the ships they attacked. This practice often led to sailors returning home with parcels of sugar or bacon—a welcome relief from their standard fare.
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Unique Experiences: The Culinary Moments at Sea
Despite the challenges, some moments stood out warmly in the minds of the crew. Lieutenant Rudolph Zentner fondly recounted a wartime Christmas, when the dining room was decorated and a meal of canned provisions was joyfully shared among officers and men. The camaraderie around meals was significant, even when the quality of food did not meet expectations.
In another engaging narrative, a U-boat crew found themselves savoring fresh fish near French fishing boats, teaching them that occasionally they could supplement their rations significantly. Such moments of bounty showcased the human spirit's capacity to find joy in adversity.
The Personal Touch: Animal Companionship
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Notably, life aboard a U-boat wasn't just about food for humans. Pets sometimes brought warmth and levity to the crew's stringent environment. The story of a dachshund named Maria, taken aboard after being rescued, adds a delightful layer to life on the U-boat. Meanwhile, a monkey named Fipps, known for sneaking food when the cook’s back was turned, also found a niche among the crew, periodically enjoying a surplus of bananas captured from a sunken Italian vessel.
Final Taste Test: Cooking the Sauerkraut Soup
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After simmering the basic ingredients for a quarter of an hour, the soup reaches its readiness for tasting. Unlike the complexities usually sought in gourmet cooking, this straightforward sauerkraut soup becomes a hearty dish embodying wartime practicality—best served with schwarzbrot, or black rye bread.
Sampling this dish reveals a straightforward and tangy flavor reflective of its origins, providing an authentic taste of the era. For those averse to sauerkraut, the recipe offers alternatives, adapting to various tastes and preferences easily.
Invitation for Future Exploration
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The exploration of food aboard German U-boats during World War I paints a vivid picture of life at sea, tied closely to the everyday challenges of war. Ideas for more wartime recipes from different periods continue to welcome additional insights, inviting those interested to further explore the culinary histories forged amid the hardships of conflict.