The Old-School Cracker Cowboys Used To Eat On The Trail

The pop culture conception of a cowboy diet involves lots of fire-roasted beef, but in reality, they ate simple food that could be easily cooked on the road, and many that could be preserved on the trail — plus, the cattle they were delivering belonged to their employers. The actual diet of a 19th century cowboy involved a lot more beans, black coffee, and hardtack — a food that truly earns its name.

Hardtack is one of the simplest foods to make: a lot of flour, less water, and a little salt bakes into a considerably dense, hard bread that may resemble a biscuit or a cracker. At best, it tastes bland. But hardtack is lightweight, calorie-rich, and extremely resistant to spoilage, making it a reasonable option for a long journey eating only what you can carry, forage, or hunt.

Hardtack's prominence among cowboys stems from being a common ration in the Union army during the Civil War. Soldiers commonly tried to make it more edible by soaking it in coffee or water, or just smashing it with the butt of a gun. The cowboy era dawned with war veterans moving west for work, and they likely brought these practices with them. They could have even brought war-issue rations, which had a shelf life of many years assuming no bug infestations.

Understandably, hardtack is one of the vintage breads you don't see much anymore. Modern life has infinitely better crackers easily available or made from scratch; even military rations mostly left hardtack behind after World War I. When hardtack is seen today, it's usually as a museum artifact, where its survival potential can become clear: some Civil War-era hardtack rations are still edible. (They do not taste good.)

The grim realities of hardtack make it clear why modern cowboy recipes reflect the vibe more than reality. Cowboy-style recipes feature fresh, simple ingredients with straightforward preparations; hearty meals that feel like they could have been cooked over a fire under the stars. It's certainly a more appetizing way to eat than rock-like crackers in black coffee.

It is, however, possible to replicate that last-ditch, authentic cowboy meal. Hardtack is as easy to make as it's ever been, and the coffee brand favored by Old West cowboys still exists. Arbuckle Coffee was beloved for the uniform flavor of its pre-roasted beans, but as the first coffee to be sold in sealed 1-pound bags, there was no easier way to carry this essential drink for a cattle drive. And Arbuckle Coffee can still be found online and at several grocery stores, including Whole Foods.