Food fight: how the Chinese military's rations stack up against the world's armies

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A treat: US soldiers get served turkey on Thanksgiving in this file picture. Photo: AP

Published: 6:00pm, 11 Jun 2015Updated: 6:49pm, 11 Jun 2015

With China's military revealing recently that most of its troops dislike the ration packs they are given during military exercises, we ask: what are soldiers in other countries offered?

US military rations - the MRE or "meal ready to eat", consist of a main dish of pasta and vegetables and items such as crackers, cranberries, peanut butter and pound cake. Coffee with sugar and whitener are also provided.

Russian soldiers get a variety of rations, depending on the producer. The packs can include beef with buckwheat semolina, meat with peas and carrots, ratatouille, liver pate and meat pate. There are also wholewheat biscuits, chocolate and chewing gum, while tea and coffee are also included.

For French troops, in a nod to the country's renowned cuisine, there is deer pâté, cassoulet with duck confit, creole-style pork and a crème chocolate pudding, plus some coffee and flavoured drink powder. For breakfast there is muesli and the packs also contain caramel.

The German ration pack contains a main dish such as ravioli with mushroom sauce or Indian rice with chicken cutlet. Snacks include bread, sachets of grapefruit juice powder, Italian biscotti, chocolate and chewing gum. Coffee, tea and fruit drinks are in the pack along with sour cherry and apricot jams for breakfast.

The main courses in British rations are chicken tikka masala and vegetarian pasta. There is pork and beans for breakfast. Teabags, sweets and snacks including trail mix and apple "fruit pockets" make up the pack.