Cabbage soup and porridge, our food

As Napoleon said, the way to a soldier's heart is through his stomach. The French were the first to invent field kitchens, but they were stationary, and soldiers cut off from the rear had to cook soups and porridge themselves. Alexander Turchaninov made a significant contribution to the development of field kitchens.

Coming from a destitute noble family, he was well aware of all the hardships of a soldier's life. At the age of 20, in 1875, he became a private in an infantry regiment. For his bravery in the battles for Plevna, he was promoted to non-commissioned officer and awarded the Order of St. George. Turchaninov pondered for a long time about how to provide soldiers with a hot meal at the front. Ultimately, he came up with the idea of making a mobile field kitchen to cook during marches.

He developed a unique "campaign hearth," consisting of two large cauldrons. To feed a company of 250 people with borscht, porridge, and tea, it took 4 hours. The food was prepared on the go, and the design allowed it to be pulled by a single horse. An experienced cook could also prepare goulash if the necessary ingredients were available. The food did not burn thanks to the design where one cauldron was placed inside another, with oil poured between the walls. Turchaninov also cared for the comfort of the cooks by installing boxes for kitchen utensils on the front axle.

The mobile kitchen was first tested during the Boxer Rebellion in China, and it performed excellently. Russian crowned heads also appreciated Turchaninov's invention. The "campaign hearth" with a multi-burner stove was often used outdoors. The design was so successful that it was produced unchanged until 1945.