**Erbswurst**
Erbswurst was a 19th century ration that was used by first Prussian and later in WWI Germany military. It is a sausage made from lard, dried bacon and pea flour that could be eaten as is or rehydrated in a mess tin into a
thick soup.
There are three basic ingredients and seasonings:
smoked bacon 12 ounces
Hard fat (lard) 9 ounces
Pea flour 14 ounces
Salt. 3 tsp
Pepper. 1 tsp
Marjoram. 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg. 1/4 tsp
Thyme. 1/4 tsp
Onion. 1/2 onion
Dice the smoked bacon into 1/4″ cubes. Fry both bacon and fat on a low heat (don't burn) until golden brown, stirring often. Lightly brown the finely chopped onion in some of the fat. Heat up a pot on a low fire and start adding the pea flour to the onions (and fat) stirring continuously. Add all the salt, pepper , and spices, whilst stirring. Add in the bacon and fat and stir well together.
May be put into casings or formed into bars/balls and stored in airtight containers or vacuum sealed bags.
An inexpensive filler item, you could find homemade bread on the table for nearly every meal during the depression. By baking a large batch like this each week, you’ll always have bread ready to slice.
Note: This is a basic recipe, using minimal ingredients. If butter and eggs are available, add in 1 egg and ½ cup butter with the water for more flavor.
Ingredients:
- 16 2/3 cup flour (5 pounds)
- 5 TBS yeast
- 6 tsp salt
- 5 cups warm water
Combine 10 cups flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir well with a wooden spoon.
Continue adding flour, a cup at a time, until dough is thick. When you can no longer stir, begin kneading. Knead the bread until smooth and no longer sticky.
Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour).
Punch down dough and let rest for ten minutes.
Shape dough into seven loaves. Place into greased loaf pans, or onto greased cookie sheets. Let rise one hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until browned.