Maconochie Explained

Maconochie
Country:Scotland
Creator:Maconochie Company
Type:Stew
Main Ingredient:Turnips, carrots, potatoes

Maconochie was a canned British stew of sliced turnips, carrots, potatoes, onions, haricot beans, and beef in a thin broth, named after the Aberdeen-based Maconochie Company that produced it. It gained recognition as a widely-issued military ration for British soldiers during the Boer War[1] and World War I. There was also a French version called Maconóochie.

Although the stew was tolerable, most soldiers detested it. As one soldier put it, "warmed in the tin, Maconochie was edible; cold, it was a man-killer." Others complained about how the potatoes appeared to be unidentifiable black lumps. The congelation of fat above indistinguishable chunks of meat and vegetables led one reporter to describe it as "an inferior grade of garbage". A soldier named Calcutt claimed "the Maconochie's stew ration gave the troops flatulence of a particularly offensive nature."

Some product versions that contained turnips were said to possess an unpleasant smell when combined with beans. Barbara Buchan from the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre confirmed that their records contain only a single positive response to the product.[2]

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Notes and References

  1. Book: Grant. Maurice Harold. History of the war in South Africa, 1899-1902. Maurice. John Frederick. London Hurst and Blackett. 1906. 4. 567.
  2. Web site: 2014-04-23 . World War One: The dubious reputation of Maconochie's stew . 29 June 2021 . BBC News.