Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil InstitutionsSoyer, Alexis
History
Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions
Soyer, Alexis
Cooking for military personnel; Crimean War, 1853-1856
I requested many of my visitors to taste the different preparations,
and, much to my satisfaction, I believe almost all of them did so, and
expressed their approbation of them. After pointing out the merits of
the stoves to the Commanders-in-chief, I conducted them to the spot
where the Scotch Division formerly cooked their rations in the old tin
camp-kettles. On our way, I observed to General Pelissier that I had
visited the French camp-kitchens, and found their marmites superior to
the English. The soup made by the French soldiers, I said, was very
good. At this the General seemed much pleased.
The space required for three or four regiments extended about three
hundred and fifty feet in length. A rough wall of loose stones had been
erected by the men to form a screen, which when the regiment moved was,
of course, left behind. The furnaces were also constructed of loose
stones, held together by iron hoops; upon these the tin cans were placed
and the rations cooked. By this plan an immense quantity of wood was
inevitably wasted, and the fires were sometimes extinguished by the
heavy rains. My stoves completely obviated all those previously
insurmountable difficulties.
Having listened to this explanation, the Commanders-in-chief admitted
the beneficial results and advantages of the stoves. However, General
Simpson observed, that I, of course, applied the contrast to my
advantage; but also said, it was nothing but fair, and I was perfectly
justified in so doing. In the first place, my stoves occupied but little
room, and cooked much better than those formerly in use. The Generals
were so much pleased with them, that before leaving the camp they wrote
the annexed letters in my album. The same evening I received one from
the War-office, relative to my success in the hospitals at Scutari,
which I also append.
The Allied Generals remained with me above an hour. This gave me an
excellent opportunity of conversing with General Pelissier, who minutely
described camp life in Algeria, after which the General and Staff
retired. As it was then nearly seven o’clock, a great number of officers
followed. No less than eight hundred or a thousand persons of
distinction visited the kitchens during the day: many were not invited,
in consequence of the unfortunate accident to Colonel Seymour. About
nine all was over, and the band played “God save the Queen.”
Nothing could have succeeded better than this opening, a drawing of
which appeared in the _Illustrated News_ of September 22nd, 1855.
_General Pelissier’s Letter._
J’ai eu le plaisir, le vingt-sept Août, 1855, de visiter
l’établissement culinaire de Monsieur Soyer, et j’ai été bien
satisfait de ce que j’y ai vu; j’ai été frappé surtout de
l’économie de temps et de chauffage apporté dans l’alimentation des
troupes. Les chaudières paraissent bien entendues; j’ai tout goûté,
et à tout, je le reconnais, j’ai trouvé un goût excellent et
très-appétissant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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