Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

I always picture a lot of trail mix.. the good kind, with M&Ms in it. And jerky of some kind, and some kind of tea or dehydrated coffee. (I tend to assume magic fills in for technology sufficiently that little things like M&Ms and freeze-drying are possible in an otherwise pre-modern society.)

Dried/smoked Meats (medieval jerky equivalent)
Hard Breads or Cracker-like baked goods
Cheeses (actually keep very well after a rind hardens, otherwise can be waxed)
Dried fruits like apricots, plums, etc.
Vegetables that keep well such as onions, carrots, potatoes (in some regions),

Remember even iron rations are not like our modern stored foods; they are only meant to last weeks, not months or years.

I would imagine medieval(ish) folk knew much more than we would about other general foraging, supplementing these sort of rations with field grasses, wild onions/leaks, edible tubers, wild honey, etc. along with easily acquired small game (rabbit/hare, squirrels, etc). In my childhood I ate much of this stuff curtesy of my grandfather whom absolutely loved much of this stuff (squirrel being one of his favorites).

Preferably lembas bread or something like it.

But for most of us not living on a Kings Ransom it is probably a mixture of high protein stuff like fish, pork, beef, etc dried and ground and mixed with ground nuts, seeds, beans, wheat, and other grains soaked with goats milk and then baked into a hard ass loaf that you need to soak in your tea/water/wine/mead/etc before you can tear off a bite.

I know from experience that if you are going to carry all of your food around with you, you want to gte the water out of it and then rehydrate it later when you want to eat it.

Hardtack, Jerky, nuts, dried or candied fruits. Cram. honeyed seed cakes. MREs.

Pretty much anything dry and unpalatable to encourage foraging, hunting, or eating fresher foods whenever available.

SmootRK wrote:Dried/smoked Meats (medieval jerky equivalent)
Hard Breads or Cracker-like baked goods
Cheeses (actually keep very well after a rind hardens, otherwise can be waxed)
Dried fruits like apricots, plums, etc.
Vegetables that keep well such as onions, carrots, potatoes (in some regions),

Remember even iron rations are not like our modern stored foods; they are only meant to last weeks, not months or years.

I would imagine medieval(ish) folk knew much more than we would about other general foraging, supplementing these sort of rations with field grasses, wild onions/leaks, edible tubers, wild honey, etc. along with easily acquired small game (rabbit/hare, squirrels, etc). In my childhood I ate much of this stuff curtesy of my grandfather whom absolutely loved much of this stuff (squirrel being one of his favorites).

This. Your grandfather was right; squirrel is good.

A quick search of the term "Iron Ration" makes me think that D&D iron rations aren't really based on medieval methods of carrying food, but rather WW1 iron rations first created by the British and then adopted by the US. As pointed out in the 2nd link, Gygax and crew were big historical/war buffs and would know the term "Iron Ration"

http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/ironration.htm

http://blogofholding.com/?p=2525

Hywaywolf has the game history right. Bully beef and hardtack, anyone?

I think of it as drieds meats, hardtack, dried fruits, etc. No supplement from foraging or hunting needed, though successful foraging and/or hunting can stretch iron rations for a long time. Just as Aragorn on the way from Weathertop to Imladris.

In game terms, for me "iron rations" = "1 MRE". One MRE per day is sufficient to keep a soldier functional. That's what Ranger school taught me. It sucks - positively sucks - and it's a hardship, because you're always hungry, but it will keep body and soul together.

Also in game terms, it's a very good reason for PCs to get back to town and start pissing treasure away. They're hungry, they want a bath, they want civilization, by the gods, and they don't give a fart in a simoom what it costs.

That's useful for keeping the Monty Haul in check.

Cheers,

Bob

LOL

Maybe something a little dryer (and thus lighter) and sturdier, but cheese, bread, and booze are as logical as anything.