Did you know that… since the earliest times, bread has been a staple food for mankind and, consequently, for armies?

In Portugal, the provinces of Estremadura, Beira and Alentejo consumed corn bread, sometimes adding wheat flour to make it lighter. In the north, rye and barley bread were the most commonly used. Wheat bread was consumed only in large cities and by the wealthier classes.

In the armies of the French Invasions period, bread was the main component of daily rations. From a logistical perspective, since bread spoiled easily, it was neither stored in depots nor transported far from where it was baked. For this reason, it was often replaced by hardtack, a type of biscuit that, once baked, lasted much longer and, being lighter as a ration, posed fewer transportation challenges. However, it was not particularly popular with soldiers.

Given the state of deprivation in which the French left the country, the difficulties in meeting the army’s needs soon became apparent when the uprising began and the British army arrived. Portuguese troops, unable to secure their own supplies, whether due to a lack of funds or the ineffectiveness of the Provisioning Board, appealed to the British to ensure the supply of bread.

Bibliographical reference:

SANTOS, José Manuel Alves dos — A Administração na Guerra Peninsular [Administration during the Peninsular War]. Casal de Cambra: Caleidoscópio – Edição e Artes Gráficas, S.A., 2010, p. 189.