K-ration

The K-ration was an individual daily combat food ration which was introduced by the United States Army during World War II. It was intended to last for a day and provided three courses: breakfast, supper and dinner.

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By contrast, the previous A-, B-, C- and D-rations, which had been introduced during the interbellum era (and of which the A- and B-rations had been discontinued prior to WWII), only provided a single meal.

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Breakfast included two biscuits, canned meat and eggs, a fruit bar, instant coffee, sugar cubes, cigarettes and chewing gum. Dinner also consisted of canned meat, cigarrettes and gum, as well as cheese. The supper package also contained toilet paper. The meals collectively were about 8,300 calories.

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The K in K-ration doesn't carry any meaning; allegedly it was chosen to make the ration easily distinguishable from the single-meal C- (= individual meal-in-a-can) and D-rations (= emergency high-calorie chocolate bars) that were in use at the time.

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Food: Food is any substance consumed by living organisms, including liquid drinks. Food is the main source of energy and of nutrition for animals, and is usually of animal or plant origin....

United States Army: The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. As of fiscal year 2004 (FY04), it consisted of 485,500 soldiers (including 71,400 women) on active duty and 591,000 in reserve (325,000 in the Army National Guard (ARNG) and...

Breakfast: Breakfast is a meal preceding lunch or dinner and usually eaten in the morning. (Less frequently, the term breakfast may also be used by people that work evenings or late nights to refer to the first meal of the day, although it may not include the same ingredients as breakfast in the standard sens...