"HARD TACK."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9587, 6 September 1909, Page 6

"HARD TACK."

What is probably the most curious bread in the world is described by Mr L. Lodian, who has been travelling in Siberia, in the "Scientific American." "Of all the hard-tack breads of the universe," he writes, "I have found by actual experience the small ringed bread of Siberia the most substantial. It is made without salt or yeast and is first steamed, then lightly baked to expel the moisture. Some curious uses were made of these breads by the engineers of the Siberian railways. When soaked in hot pure tallow for a few moments till they sank they were used in soups or soaked in and eaten with tea during the severe winter months. This tallow bread was considered the most heat-pro-ducing article in the dietary. It should be utilised by our Arctic explorers. Another curious use to which it is put is as an extempore candle or coffee pot boiler. A nail is used to make about eight holes in the tallow ring bread; wax vestas are placed in these and ignited. It will burn slowly for about an hour, emitting a strong heat suffici" ent to warm and light a small tent and boil the tea or coffee water. There is a rather strong odour of toasting bread, but that is tolerated in preference to smoke. While sojourning with the engineers in Siberia I have also seen them .use the larger sizes of ringed biead as makeshift quoits for Sunday afternoon sport in their tents, and the bread would stand the knocking about pretty well, and would eventually appear in the soup at the evening meal. Small Siberian a'torekeepers also use the ringed bread as an abacus or primitive counting apparatus for calculating small sums in roubles and kopeks, and simple figuring.