Field cooker
A field cooker , also known as a field kitchen or colloquially called a goulash cannon , is a trailer in which one or more kettles and a fireplace are integrated and which was originally intended to be used as a field kitchen in the true sense of the word, or as part of it. It plays an important role in the military and disaster control and is still used today in large numbers in many armies for supply purposes.
history
On January 19, 1818 (inconsistent December 30, 1813) Goethe documented in his diary with Friedrich von Kurkowski-Eichen a designer of a mobile field kitchen that was supposed to cost 243 Thaler and two Groschen Prussian Courant . Altona pharmacist Heinrich Zeise and his son Theodor registered a patent for a mobile field cooker as early as 1850 . It was a four-wheeled handcart with a steam-powered hob. The patent for it was granted by the governorship of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein on May 30, 1850. During the Schleswig-Holstein War (1848–1851) Zeise's field cooker served as a mobile field kitchen .
Karl Rudolf Fissler from the Fissler company in Idar-Oberstein also developed a field cooker in 1892 and was long considered the actual inventor of the device. This trailer quickly caught on in many armies. Older, identical vehicles were mostly converted from storage wagons and had to be prepared for cooking. The field cooker made the preparation of the dishes much easier and they could be cooked or kept warm while moving. The device was used throughout the troops as a field kitchen during the First World War, among other things, and was very popular as a permanent feature of rest and recreation zones. It got its popular colloquial name " goulash cannon " due to the way it was transported: it was drawn up like a field artillery gun , but the kitchen was attached to the limber in the same way instead of the mount , and its black smoke vent was folded back when the device was not in use. The goulash cannon was fired with all kinds of fuel, preferably wood. Modern field cookers are operated with solid fuel or diesel oil, often also with gas. Many types now have their own supply of fuel. Separated from their parent vehicles, they should remain self-sufficient for as long as possible .
The device is still in use today in many armies and complements self-propelled supply vehicles, which often have their own cooking facilities. Modern goulash cannons are equipped with many down-to-earth work materials and enable relatively high-quality dishes to be prepared in large quantities. In addition to steam boilers, modern field kitchens also have roasting pans, ovens and warming containers.
The Bundeswehr has introduced the TFK 250 (tactical field kitchen 250) from Kärcher as a field kitchen for the supply of up to 250 soldiers.
In civil protection for many years were long used field kitchens the company Progress of type 57/4 and 57/5, these have now been largely phased out and replaced by the module field kitchen (MFK) Kärcher or discarded TFK 250 of the Bundeswehr.
Typical dishes
Since the invention of the goulash cannon, some typical dishes have emerged that have often been cooked in it or are easy to cook in it. Because the wood or charcoal firing can deliver the high temperatures necessary for the tasty preparation of meat dishes in large quantities, the vehicle is well suited for rich meat dishes, which are particularly welcome in field conditions. In this way, coarse pieces of meat can also be seared in bulk in the heated kettles, which is especially important for goulash . Since before the invention of the granular broth under field conditions the taste of goulash and goulash soups could only be produced by professional frying, this preparation option was popular. In civil life, the same applies to kettle goulash , which is also used to feed many people. During the First World War, goulash was often made from horse meat from animals that were killed or wounded in combat. Also oxen , donkeys and goats were recycled.
- FKH in different views and colors
Soviet-style field kitchen
In the goulash cannon, not only goulash can be prepared, but also complete meals in addition to soups and stews . During the Second World War , pulses such as peas , beans , lentils or other dried vegetables were increasingly used which, in addition to their high nutritional value, also have a low dry weight (transport savings) and, if properly stored, have a long shelf life. The hermetic sealability of the built-in kettles usually enables pressure cooking , which also saves time and energy with these long-cooking dishes. In the NVA there were recipes for pea and bean stews that were specially tailored to the goulash cannon and that were constantly cooked even during civil defense exercises . Even dried meat can be cooked, but which played a minor role in European armies. The use of canned food also came up to a notable extent during World War II.
The vehicle can also have hot drinks such as tea , coffee or mulled wine ready. For this purpose, side containers are sometimes attached, which can hold the heat for a long time through indirect firing or surface contact with hot boilers. Modern field kitchens are also suitable for baking of bread and cakes , grilling , stewing , for the production of Hefeklößen or fried pastry . Typical dishes are also potato soup, chilli, sparrow (Swiss Army) (stew), midnight stew and others. Chestnuts have always been roasted in Italian armies . The pea soup achieved a downright cult status as a catering at major events in Germany .
Misuse
The field cooker can be used to heat water for various purposes. In the wars of the 20th century it therefore played an important role in the medical care of the injured and dying. Under difficult conditions, the soldiers' laundry was also cooked in it. Used field cookers are also used by hobby burners to cook the mash , because the indirect heating via a glycerine bath prevents the mash from burning and the hob already has a tight lid through which the evaporated alcohol can be removed.
education
The preparation of large quantities of food in field or war conditions differs significantly from conventional single-serving cooking. For example, recipes or preparation times increasingly deviate from conventional cooking habits as the mass increases. The field cook is a war craftsman and was represented in antiquity. The modern goulash cannon does not replace its skills. Knowledge of suitable preparations, recipes, experience and the ability to improvise contribute significantly to the morale of the troops and are still important factors today. In the modern military and aid organizations , these mobile kitchens are served by trained teams, cooks ("field cook") with courses on preparing food in large quantities, food and kitchen hygiene, kitchen helpers.
Not only in the military , but also in the event of a disaster , the field cooker is used by aid organizations both for their own staff and for the affected population. THW , medical organizations, riot police and fire brigades train field cooks. The field cooker is not only used after operations or disasters , but also at major events . Discontinued field cookers are sometimes used by private individuals to set up a business.
See also
literature
- Hans-Diedrich Cremer : Communal catering , Steinkopff-Verlag, Darmstadt, 1962, ISBN 3-7985-0207-2
Web links
- Corinne Delvaux, article "The subject: the goulash cannon" from the arte show Karambolage on March 11, 2007
- Recipe collection, recipes for the field kitchen from kirchenweb.at
- Manufacturer's website for the Kärcher field cooker
- Progress manufacturer's website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Illustration of the field kitchen , accessed on May 19, 2014.
- ^ The Ostpreußenblatt March 17, 1973 / Volume 11 / Page 5 (The poet noted the inconveniences of everyday life) , accessed on May 18, 2014.
- ↑ Jens Meyer-Odewald: The goulash cannon was invented in Altona. In: Hamburger Abendblatt . January 18, 2013, accessed January 18, 2013 .
- ^ Regina Gasper: Propeller and Goulash Cannon. In: Hamburger Abendblatt . September 9, 2008, accessed January 18, 2013 .