Travelling Kitchens and Soup carts - wheeled cooking equipment

The following is a work in progress. It is not a definitive guide, but is a researched starting point.

This shows that Travelling kitchen means a portable device for cooking on, in the same way that a Stove can be a portable, single burner - or a fixed home cooking range.

These two newspaper clippings below, from 1798, are two years after Count Rumford's suggestion of a soup cart. We see that a Parisian has designed a Travelling kitchen that can cook for 1200 men whilst on the move. It is mounted on a single car. To my mind, that makes it a soup cart, a cart for cooking or boiling food.

So we can cautiously presume that the Parisian's design mentioned in 1798, is a two wheel soup cart. Sadly, I have yet to find any evidence or reference to it anywhere, other than in the two English newspapers. So it can't be classed as the worlds first Soup cart or Travelling kitchen, until more evidence is found.

With regards to the military Travelling kitchen - There are three types of Travelling Kitchen. 

• One is a soup cart, a wheeled cooking apparatus that allows one type of food to be cooked or kept warm, and perhaps for water to be boiled at the same time whilst on the move, without the food spoiling - including for staff to be able to attend the food whilst on the move. 

• One is a collection of cooking equipment, usually on a trailer or latterly in an ISO container. When stationary it forms a kitchen, allowing for the cooking of various meals for hundreds of troops.

• One is a truck or trailer, into which cooking equipment has been installed, which allows people to attend to the food that is cooking whilst in transit, and can cook a range of different foods.

According to the 1940s book, La Chasseur François (The French Hunter), in 1743 a certain Beauvisage de Lavault, presented to the war commissioner, Dupré d'Aulnay the very ingenious plan of his traveling bakery

From http://perso.numericable.fr/cf40/articles/4041/4041126A.htm 

"During the campaigns of the reign of Louis XV, our French guards or other soldiers of the Beloved were followed by charming cooks, whose dresses seem to have been designed by Watteau. These pretty girls, canteen girls, vivandières, tossed around in a shabby cart, prepared Fanfan la Tulipe's dinner at the bivouac. The engravings and drawings of Watteau, le Paon, Parrocel, Casanova, show us these amiable children - the gallant Marshal of Saxony wanted only beauty prizes in his army - bustling around the pot singing on the fire. However, a brilliant precursor had invented a veritable rolling kitchen intended for the manufacture of ammunition bread - ancestor of our boule - in the open countryside; each traveling oven could cook two hundred rations. The creator of this bakery was a certain Beauvisage de Lavault who, in 1743, had presented to the war commissioner Dupré d'Aulnay the very ingenious plan of his system; he also recommended a hand mill. About twenty years later, M. de Lavault, ruined by women and in debt, was imprisoned; in the royal castle, he did not lack all the items that his suspicious fruit seller refused him."

Napoleon's mobile bakery of Waterloo

This mobile bakery is one of only two surviving units that Napoleon had follow him around the battlefield. The unit is at the RLC museum at Worthy Down.

It should be remembered that the French have always taken the cooking of food as the most serious of things to be undertaken.

More digging and research is required, but it appears that Prussia and Bavaria lead the way with cart mounted cooking equipment, and like so many things, then forgot the way. 

Reading various articles, books, and newspapers of the early 1800s, and an article in the British Medical Journal, it appears that the Soup cart, or Travelling kitchen was invented many times, and then dismissed and forgotten about.

Remember - MESS, a particular company (group) of the officers or soldiers, who eat, drink, and associate together. 

The issue is the location of the food in relation to the troops. The reason that Wellington approved the D shaped Mess tins of 1813 for every soldier, is because every Mess' camp kettles were on pack animals further back down the line. And it could be hours before the pack animals for that unit finally reached the troops.

Picture a line of 250 soldiers and their officers, marching 3 abreast towards the enemy. Now image the length of road that the company takes up, especially with stragglers and poor disciple after hours of marching on yet another day. Now put 3 more companies and their officers behind that. After the marching units comes the regimental wagons, pack transport and sutlers. Now consider the items poorly secured to the pack transport, items falling off enroute, and animals having their own issues on the march. And if the regiment is relying on Ox powered transport, then the wagons will be even further down the line. 

I've not studied military strategies, but it appears that whilst senior officer recognised and understood the importance of troops getting their hot food as quickly as possible at each stop, so that the troops can eat and then rest - that the order was given for each Travelling kitchen to be amongst the Regimental wagon train. Common sense says that the kitchen should be directly behind the company, and not behind the regiment. 

There is also the issue that because the food was still cooking whilst being transported, many cases of unpleasant burnt or bity soup being served to the troops. Hence the Soup carts being discarded and left behind. 

An interesting note in one manual is that the travelling kitchen is some 23 feet long, with officers being more keen to fill that 23 feet with soldiers, and not cooking equipment.

So time and time again, we see Travelling kitchens designed, and then assigned to the store and forgotten about.

Article extract

The following text is taken from
https://ar.culture.ru/ru/subject/pohodnaya-kuhnya-iz-oboza-velikoy-armii 

Until the 19th century, soldiers of all armies ate what they could take from the civilian population of the enemy, and sometimes even from their own state. At best, they received "dry rations" in the form of crackers or cereals, which they cooked themselves during halts. The great innovator of military affairs Napoleon Bonaparte was concerned with this side of the soldier's life; the first canned food was invented for his army. And on the eve of the campaign in Russia, he ordered 60 military field kitchens (2 wheel Kurowsky-Eichen type) and obliged Marshal Davout, commander of the First Army Corps, to test them in combat conditions.

The troops of the "Iron Marshal" covered the retreat of the Grand Army from Moscow, fighting off Cossacks and partisans in rearguard skirmishes. Along the way, all the supply trains were abandoned to their fate, including the field kitchens. One of them became a trophy for the Cossacks of Count V. V. Orlov-Denisov (1775-1843). It was captured in the Gzhatsk district of the Smolensk province.

The design of the field kitchen is simple and functional. A strong wooden frame with an iron firebox is installed on a single-axle, single-horse cart with large wheels. The copper boiler above it is attached to an independent suspension, due to which it always remains horizontal. Cooked food can be transported in it and fed to soldiers immediately after stopping for a rest. Firewood and sections of a folding table were transported in a box under the driver's seat in the front. If a horse is unharnessed from such a cart, it can turn over. To prevent such an accident, the shafts are equipped with additional stops that fix the kitchen in a horizontal position.

Now it became clear how the famous manoeuvrability of Napoleon's army was ensured in the harshest conditions. The brave guards, cavalrymen and grenadiers were always fed quickly and on time, without stopping on the march for the sake of self-supply. The soldiers were provided with hot food and fresh bread, which raised their combat readiness to an unprecedented height. But only 2,000 retreating troops crossed the Berezina in December 1812, many Frenchmen died not from bullets and sabres, but from hunger, having lost their kitchens.

End of article

1794 and 1798

Two British newspapers of 1794 mention a 4 wheel travelling kitchen, which can cook for 100 men. Then in 1798, more newspaper articles report of a 2 wheel (single car) cart that cooks for 1200 men.

Preliminary research shows that a Monsieur Valette of Paris was the inventor. Awaiting responses from French Archives.

1803 onwards

The Royal Swedish Society of Science academy released quarterly publications of New documents. In the fourth quarter of 1807 is an article by C. G. Sjöstén, entitled "Notes on Fireplaces, including Description of a Field Cooking Cart and a Field Baking Oven." In this article, he advises of three successive 2 wheel soup carts being made, from 1803 onwards.

German books and newspaper articles from the early 1800s show us that Bavarian, Anton Baumgartner built the first four wheel soup cart in 1805. 

Prussian, Friedrich von Kurowsky-Eichen, of Königsberg in Prussia (called Kaliningrad in Russia from 1946) designed a 2 wheel soup cart around 1810, whilst in Berlin. Kurowsky mentions of other Field Kitchens having previously been made in Munich (Baumgartner's 1805) and Königsberg in Prussia (not traced, but wonder if it's the Swedish one of 1803.

French chef, Alexie Soyer, living in England designed a soup cart that he took to Ireland in 1847 for the Potato famine. 

German, Theophil Weise, living in Czechoslovakia designed a Soup cart around 1850.

Alexie Soyer designed a Traveling kitchen for the British military in the late 1850s. 

And American, Moritz Pinner designed a "Portable furnace" with ovens, etc in 1863. And they had all been forgotten about by the Second Boer war.

In 1902 (republished 1905), Fritz Netzler published a book in Sweden, with his proposal for a 4 wheel cooking cart. He requested that the king fund this cart for assessment. I can't find any more on this proposal.

Anton Baumgartner's Suppenwagen - 1805.

Anton Baumgartner would have worked under Count Rumford - see "The Idea of cooking on the move" above.

Anton's "Suppenwagen" (Soup truck)  was a double boiler (cooking pot), with a chimney in each corner. The cooker was mounted on 4 wheels, and had chains to help the cooker stay upright on uneven ground.  The kitchen was built by coach manufacturer Johann Martin Roth, of Rosenthal, Bavaria.

There is what appears to be a reproduction example of Baumgartner's Soup cart at the Invalidendom, in Paris.

Article extract

150th anniversary of the ‘goulash cannon’

One of those inventions that is usually thought to belong to the very recent past is the field kitchen - quite commonly known as the ‘goulash cannon’.

This undoubtedly justifiably popular invention can now look back on an age of 150 years. According to ‘Neuheiten und Erfindungen’, Gümligen-Bern, it was invented in 1805 by the ‘Bayerischer Werklicher Rat’ Anton Baumgartner, who designed his ‘travelling kitchen wagon’ with the intention of ‘transporting edible food to places where it could not be transported by ordinary means’. His construction consisted of a ‘sealed oven with boiler, combustion chamber and draught chimney,

This first mobile kitchen, filled with water, had a weight of approximately 14,000 kg, making it a rather cumbersome piece of furniture to move. The first practical tests led to the ‘satisfactory result that the water reached boiling point in two hours’. This ancestor of all field kitchens was used for the first time on the occasion of a farm hunt organised in the winter of 1805; the farmers employed as beaters received hot food from it, which they accepted with both amazement and gratitude.

Napoleon who saw a demonstration of this "goulash cannon" was so impressed that he ordered them for his army.

End

Friedrich von Kurowsky-Eichen's Travelling kitchen - 1813

This drawing appears to be from an early version of Kurowsky's design. It only has one tube or chimney sticking up.

The example preserved in the Moscow museum has four tubes coming up from below, two at both ends. One of the images shows the carriage light on one of the tubes.

Alexis Soyer's Travelling kitchen - 1847

Alexis Soyer had his Soup cart made before going to Ireland. This cart inspired Alexis to think of a mobile kitchen for the army. The following image and text about this idea is from his 1854 book, A shilling cookery for the people.

The following Swinging stove, patented as An improved military or Camp kitchen, was patented in 1915

Kitchens, Travelling Number 1

(See plate 7) 

The travelling kitchen consists of two main parts, viz., the limber (or front part), the body (or back part). The Limber (Front Part) The limber is constructed with four compartments lined with a packing of asbestos; these can be hermetically sealed by closing the lids, which have a lining of the same material. These compartments contain four boilers, fitted with anti-splash plates and lids. When food at boiling point is placed therein it will remain hot for six or eight hours. Tea is usually quite hot after five hours; and ordinary stew will, as indicated above, retain a good heat considerably longer, but in all cases the weather must be taken into consideration. 

Frying Pans 

Four frying pans are carried, two on the " near" and two on the " off " side of the limber. These fit the openings over the fire in the body of the cooker. Each pan is provided with a cover, so that cooked food can be kept hot till served. Joints of suitable size can be baked in these pans. 

Compartments 

There are two compartments in the rear of the limber, " near " and " off. " In the " near " compartment cook’s implements should be stored, such as hand axe, holdall, with knives, etc., and in the " off " compartment the inventory board ; also any spare cook’s implements. 

Drawers 

The four drawers at the back part of the limber are to be used for the storage of sugar, tea, salt, and other condiments. 

Page 96

Lockers 

There are also two lockers under the rear of the limber, " near " and " off." In the " off " locker should be stored such accessories as spanners, washers, box of candles, lantern and holdall for small stores, and in the " near " compartment brake blocks, water brushes, canvas buckets and cordage. 

Rake 

A rake is supplied with each cooker and carried on the “ off ” side of the body. 

The Body (Back Part) 

Boilers 

The body has compartments for five boilers. Four boilers, each with anti-splash plate and lid, are used for the cooking of stews, puddings, soups, vegetables, tea, coffee, etc. There is also a boiler, fitted with a tap and an anti-splash plate and lid, for stock or boiling water, to make up the loss in cooking boilers due to evaporation. 

Fireplace 

The fireplace contains a "heat-regulator" and two  gratings," the correct adjustment of which should not be disregarded. The " heat-regulator " is moved by means of the rake to a " forward position " when heat is required in the direction of the rear boilers and pulled back over the entrance to the fireplace when forward heat is required, and placed in a central position for equal distribution of heat to all boilers. 

Gratings 

Both gratings should be fixed on the lower rests when wood fuel is used, and on the top rests if a steady coal fire is required, and when all pots are boiling push the bright embers forward and damp down to retain a steady heat. This kind of fire is also suitable for frying. When mixed fuel is in use it is usual to fix the back grating (farthest from the entrance to the fireplace) on the upper and the front grating on the lower rests. 

Dampers 

There are two dampers. These are used to regulate the draught and should remain open until the fuel has well burnt through and a clear fire remains.

Page 97

Dampers Down,— This is a common expression and means that the flues are partly or wholly closed when a small clear fire is burning, thereby retaining a good heat in the body of the cooker, and at the same time effecting a greater economy in the use of fuel than would be the case if the flues were kept free.

Chimney 

The chimney is retained in a vertical position by means of three bolts. It should be lowered to a horizontal position and supported by the rest when the cooker is not in use and when travelling over broken ground. The cowl of the chimney, when in use, can be adjusted to suit the prevailing wind. 

Soot Doors 

There are four soot doors, three at the front and one at the rear of the body. They should be opened for the purpose of removing soot deposits from the floor of the cooker.

Foot Rests 

The foot rests on either side of the cooker are for the cooks to stand on for the purposes of cleaning, also for making up, skimming and stirring the contents of the boilers. 

Carrying Poles 

The carrying pole is in two parts, each 5 ft. long, with two - hanging hooks. The two parts are connected by means of a socket and are to be used to remove the boilers, which should never be removed by hand.

Fuel Carriers 

Two fuel carriers are situated at the rear of the body. Each has a holding capacity of 14 cwt. of coal. The components, accessories, spare parts, equipment stores, etc., appertaining to a travelling kitchen are enumerated on A.F. G 1096-7. 

1930s

The spreadsheet below shows that at least 20 Kitchen trailers were made in the early 1930s.

British WW2 travelling kitchen

I believe the images below show an example of JA 7039, Cookers, Trailer, Hydra type - with one range as listed above on each side of the trailer.

Rutherford oil Burner kitchen trailer

The Rutherford Kitchen trailer was patented in 1934. More details in the patent, at https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/010380419/publication/GB411909A?q=pn%3DGB411909A 

This small sample from MERLIN shows some of the NSN, Asset codes and Contract numbers associated with cooking trailers of the British Army. 

It should be remembered that MERLIN computer program wasn't started until 1986, and back dated to anything that was in service in January 1984. So anything cast (disposed of) before 31st December 1983 does not appear in MERLIN

The Documents before AESPs included:-

• Army Code 40197 - Cooking Equipment Complete Equipment Schedule.

• Army Code 31224 - Complete Equipment Schedule. 

• Army Code 14510 

No. 4, Mk. 2 Gasoline & LPG trailer 7360-99-130-5642

Apparently, the LPG H burners were made by Arunfabs Ltd, who have ceased trading.

The vehicle below is a GMC ACKWX-353 6x6 truck, but it shows how some Mobile Kitchens were laid out, with a frame to hold the No. 1 burner and frames in place. 

There are two pages on this website, which has been written by a relative of Wiles. https://www.nashos.org.au/wiles.htm

The GB patent for this travelling kitchen is at https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DGB191501742A 

The Hawthorn Mobile Kitchen - 1988 Haas-Sohn trailer

Robert's Travelling kitchen lost out to other makes, as the others were able to keep food warm, without spoiling,  until the troops were ready for the food. But the biggest issue was with the ones sold to Australia. The Australian Defence Department decided to save £10 per kitchen by using a fixed wagon, rather than a cart with separate limber. The cooker was mounted back to front on the 4 wheel cart. No only did this affect the draught on the fire, the rear wheel and brakes got in the way of accessing the two side ovens. Further, because of the lack of a limber, the whole cart with oven had to be used to fetch water or fuel. 

The UK patent of this stove is at

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DGB191302141A

Argentinian forces bought these travelling kitchens to the Falklands in 1982. They are the Israeli made Field Kitchen, affectionately nicknamed "La Morocha" by Spanish speakers.

According to Google, "Morocha" is a Spanish adjective used in Latin America to describe a female with dark hair or dark skin. Depending on the country, the exact definition changes. In Argentina it commonly refers to a woman with dark brown or black hair.

• Configuration: Dual or triple high-capacity boiling kettles (cauldron-style) built into an insulated, heavy-duty mobile trailer chassis.

• Mobility: Mounted on a two-wheeled carriage designed to be towed by heavy trucks or lorries across rough, uneven terrain.

• Fuel Source: Originally operated on pressurized liquid fuel (diesel or kerosene burners) designed to function dependably in freezing and sub-polar climates.

• Capacity: Built to mass-produce hot meals (stews, soups, and beverages) for up to 100-250 soldiers per unit depending on the specific ration allocation.

• Material: Heavy steel and cast iron with insulated fireboxes to maximize heat retention and efficiency in the field.

The latest kitchen is the EA Prototype and the EA2 - 2024

From https://www.zona-militar.com/2024/04/14/entrevista-absint-presente-internacionalmente-en-fidae-a-la-nueva-cocina-de-campana-ea2-del-ejercito-argentino/

Regarding its features, the field kitchen has a 

• 40-liter diesel tank

• fuel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days. 

the EA2 can cook 500 rations using 

• a 65-liter pot, 

• a 125-liter pot, 

• a 250-liter water tank, 

• a 150-liter convection oven. 

These modules are interchangeable. For example, the water tank can be used in place of one of the pots to increase the number of rations cooked to 1,000 . These module changes to accommodate different configurations can be carried out by ABSINT, as well as by the Army.  

Thanks to a connection system designed and implemented by ABSINT, the fuel supply can be connected independently. This allows for connecting or disconnecting modules and inserting others, such as another oven, another tank, four cooking pots, or whatever the Argentine Army or potential regional and international operators may prefer and need.

“Currently, the Army has the EA1, prototype number 1, which participated in the exercise in Monte Caseros and passed the Operational Technical Evaluation (ETO). From there, with the user experience provided by the Army in a report detailing the minor modifications they needed, we arrived at the EA2. This EA2 is a kitchen that already belongs to the Army, and we are now on the verge of a pre-production run of ten (10) kitchens, to continue with the prototype-pre-production 1 and 2 process. The goal is to acquire more than 200 kitchens (…) so that each of the Army battalions can have one, as it is equipment that improves many aspects.”

“ First, there’s the economic aspect, the logistical issue, since there’s no need to carry gas cylinders, which also helps with logistics by not having to transport all the cylinders. And the fact that it’s modular (…) ”.

See https://news.sohu.com/00/11/news202381100.shtml 

Before the 1980s

During the revolutionary war years, our army's food supplies consisted only of some simple cooking equipment. The earliest cooking vehicle of our army was developed starting in 1952. From 1960 to 1962, field horse-drawn cooking vehicles and exhaust gas cooking vehicles were developed. From 1966 to 1970, dry food processing vehicles and bread vans were trial-produced. From 1976 to 1977, several new cooking vehicles were developed.

The 1952 kitchen cart was a single-axle trailer that could be towed by a car or pulled by horses. Its interior included one large and one small stove, a 380 kg water tank, 11 sets of cooking utensils and supplies, several pots and pans (large, medium, and small), a towing frame, and repair tools. The cart weighed 1.5 tons. Its advantages included: good maneuverability (can be towed by a car or pulled by horses), low cost (doesn't occupy a truck), and low fuel consumption (can basically guarantee hot meals for a company). However, its disadvantages included its weight and size, making it difficult to pull by horses. Additionally, the equipment was arranged with a front-heavy layout, making it prone to tipping over in wartime conditions. Furthermore, it suffered from poor smoke dissipation, lacked insulation, and the pots were not sealed, leading to leaks during operation.

The field horse-drawn cooking cart was developed by the Catering Machinery Research Office of the Supply Research Institute of the Logistics Technology and Equipment Research Institute, starting in the latter half of 1960. The entire research was completed in early 1962. It was suitable for use by the mess halls of infantry platoons (companies). All cooking equipment and auxiliary equipment were mounted on the cart chassis. The cooking equipment included one vertical boiler with a cooking pot, two steamers; auxiliary equipment included one hand-cranked water pump, one hand-cranked blower, one soup bucket, one coal box, and two toolboxes. It generally took 2 hours to cook rice (including vegetables) for 150 people; and 1.5 hours to cook 150 steamed buns (including vegetables). Three cooks were required to use the cart: one to tend the fire (and also carry the load); one to wash the rice; and one to chop and stew the vegetables. The characteristics of the horse-drawn cart were: firstly, it was lightweight and pulled by horses, allowing it to travel on ordinary rural dirt roads; secondly, it used a boiler and steamers for cooking, burning coal. The problems included: ① The long cooking time was mainly due to the cooking method itself and some unreasonable structural features of the steamers. ② The mobility is not suitable for the needs of infantry companies. Horses cannot climb mountains or traverse forests. ③ The hand-cranked water pump cannot guarantee water supply in winter, water easily accumulates at the bottom of the steamer, and rice that is spilled into the steamer is not easy to remove, causing it to rot and smell bad.

Type 77 Cooking car

The Type 77 kitchen vehicle was trial-produced in 1977 by the Logistics Technology and Equipment Research Institute at Factory 7431 of the Guangzhou Military Region. It was a modified Dongfeng 240 vehicle, with a metal canopy added to the original cargo box. Approximately nine pull-out windows were installed on the sides and front and rear windows. Two fully opening doors were located at the rear. 

After modification, the total weight of the vehicle was 6.1 tons (including all cooking equipment weighing 778 kg). The overall dimensions were 6218×2255×3100 mm, and the internal dimensions were 3400×2000×1790 mm. The roof of the carriage is 3100 mm above the ground at its highest point, covered with 1 mm thick aluminum plates on both the inside and outside, with a 25 mm thick rigid foam plastic insulation layer in between. Each side wall has three 890×660 mm sliding windows, and the front wall has one 950×420 mm sliding window. The rear wall consists of two doors and the original tailgate at the bottom, each door with a 940×660 mm window. 

When the vehicle is stopped for cooking, the rear partition can be lowered, extending the floor by 450 mm, and a simple folding ladder is provided. The rear partition is closed when the vehicle is in motion. The vehicle largely retains its original off-road capabilities. 

It can cook meals for 150 people per hour, referring only to rice and regular stew (calculated at 7 liang of rice and 5 liang of vegetables per person per meal). Steaming 105 jin of flour for steamed buns takes approximately 65-70 minutes. Cooking while the vehicle is in motion requires pre-rinsing the rice and chopping the vegetables; the vehicle must be stopped when adding the rice.

Exhausted cooking vehicle

The research on the exhaust gas cooking vehicle was a project that utilized the waste heat from automobile engine exhaust for cooking. This research was jointly conducted by the Vehicle Institute and the Military Supplies Institute of the Logistics Technology and Equipment Research Institute. The entire research began in July 1960 and ended in October 1962. 

The vehicle chassis was the Jiefang 10, with the driver's cab unchanged, and the cargo box was designed like an engineering vehicle. There were three roll-up windows on each side, and four adjustable walls on the right side. There were two rear doors. The central part of the cargo box had two storage compartments with floorboards for storing moisture-resistant vegetables and other items. There was a hanging box on each side of the rear of the cargo box, one for coal and firewood, and the other for tools. The cargo box frame was a welded composite beam, covered with 0.5 and 0.75 mm thick sheet metal, lined with 3-5 layers of plywood, and the roof was filled with old cotton wadding for insulation. Two skylights were opened in the roof, which housed six 12-volt light bulbs. 

The internal dimensions of the carriage are 3650 mm long × 2300 mm wide × 1850 mm high; the external dimensions are 3750 mm long × 2430 mm wide × 2050 mm. The total weight of the carriage is 850 kg. 

The equipment includes one horizontal boiler, one vertical boiler cooking pot set, one steamer, one hand-cranked water pump, one cooling system circulating water heat exchanger, one water tank, one hand-cranked blower, as well as a cooking utensil box, a grain box, and a refrigerator. 

This vehicle has the following advantages: 

① It is entirely possible to cook while the vehicle is in motion using waste heat from exhaust gases, but it is unrealistic to prepare meals for 100-150 people within 90 minutes. However, using the vertical boiler set burning coal and firewood can guarantee that meals for 100-150 people can be prepared within 90 minutes. Furthermore, using only waste heat on asphalt roads at an average speed of 35 km/h, meals for 100 people can be prepared within 110 minutes. 

② Utilizing the heat exchanger of the engine cooling system's circulating water is acceptable. 

③ Using steam for cooking is acceptable. 

④ The vehicle's structural design is basically suitable for a kitchen vehicle, providing good ventilation while driving and allowing the right side wall to be supported when stationary, resulting in acceptable working conditions. 

However, there are some shortcomings: 

① Using a horizontal boiler followed by a vertical boiler to utilize exhaust gas is incorrect, as vertical boilers have low thermal efficiency (53.5%), complex structures, and are heavy; a horizontal boiler would suffice. 

② The insulation layer of the exhaust gas pipe is not only swollen but also has poor insulation performance, and the ball joint connection from the exhaust manifold to the tee valve is mechanically flawed. 

③ There is the issue of boiler corrosion when utilizing waste heat. After use, boilers will corrode quickly if left unused for extended periods. 

④ Utilizing waste heat for cooking is only reasonable while the vehicle is in motion. Starting the engine to cook when the vehicle is stationary is wasteful, and considering only utilizing waste heat for cooking in a dedicated kitchen vehicle is not practically meaningful. This is because sometimes the vehicle's travel distance is short, and the heat generated is limited and cannot meet the needs of the kitchen vehicle.

Type 83 bread processing cart

　　The Type 83 bread processing truck consists of two Jiefang CA-30 off-road trucks and two dual-axle four-wheel trailers. This vehicle can operate in areas below 3500 meters above sea level and in environments with humidity ranging from -30 to 35°C. It can operate normally in wind (level 6), rain (moderate rain), and snow. The truck requires 8 operators and can produce continuously, averaging 100-200 kg of flour per hour (equivalent to 150-190 kg of bread). It has a certain degree of off-road mobility. The maximum speed when towed is 60 km/h, the maximum gradeability is 15 degrees, and the minimum turning radius is 10 meters. The modified main truck has a total weight of 8.4 tons, the proofing trailer 3.1 tons, and the oven trailer 3.45 tons. The working area is 10 x 15 meters.

Food truck and van

(1) Dry food cart

This vehicle was jointly developed by the Logistics Technology and Equipment Research Institute and the Shanghai Food Engineering Design Institute. The vehicle body is a modified Jiefang 30 truck used for major repairs. The equipment inside includes a complete set of equipment for producing compressed dry rations, such as a roasting machine, mixer, briquetting machine, and packaging machine. It can produce 2500-3000 jin (approximately 1250-1500 catties) of compressed dry rations per day. This vehicle is equipped for units at the regimental level and above, used to solve the problem of field rations during wartime. The vehicle has a high degree of mechanization, high output, and produces small-volume, storable dry rations. However, the operation is relatively complex, prone to malfunctions, and the vehicle and equipment are also relatively heavy.

(2) van

Developed jointly by the Shenyang and Beijing Military Regions and the Logistics Technology and Equipment Research Institute in 1969-70, this van was a modified version of the Jiefang 10. (The chassis was lowered, and an engineering vehicle-style cargo box was added on top.) It was equipped with an oven, proofing box, dough board, and hand-cranked pump for making bread. Taking the Shenyang Military Region van as an example, it could bake 80 jin (40 catties) of bread per hour. The area below the oven could also be used for steaming buns, cooking rice, and boiling water. It ran on diesel fuel and was equipped with a blowtorch-type diesel burner. The diesel burner could be preheated with gasoline vapor (0.5 atmospheres). The entire vehicle required six people to operate and consumed 4 kg of fuel per hour.

80 - Field Kitchen

Based on the logistical experience of the 1979 counter-offensive, and considering the poor conditions for individual cooking at the company level due to their location on the front lines, it was deemed more appropriate to centralize the mess units at the battalion level. The cooking utensils and cooks of an entire battalion would be concentrated together and transported in dedicated supply vehicles. Before the availability of vans and cooking vehicles, existing cooking tools should be reformed, and a field kitchen should be established at the battalion level. A field kitchen would be equipped with field cooking utensils at the company level, with cooking organized uniformly by the battalion. The 80-Field Kitchen consisted of three parts: field cooking utensils, hot food delivery tools, and auxiliary equipment. Its main tactical and technical specifications were: primarily using the existing company-level field cooking utensils, supplemented with some necessary additional utensils, to form a field kitchen. The utensils should be complete, and hot food should be delivered in advance; the complete set of utensils could be centralized for battalion-level cooking or dispersed for company-level cooking; the hot food delivery bags should have a capacity of 45-50 jin (approximately 22.5-25 kg), capable of holding rice, steamed buns, soup, and vegetables, and be easy to handle and clean. The insulation performance requires that food heated to 85℃ should maintain a temperature of no less than 40℃ after one hour at -20℃. The portable cooking tent and table are lightweight, sturdy, and easy to deploy and fold up. The outdoor stove and hand-cranked blower can be used with firewood or coal. A cooking utensil bag provides easy access to small cooking utensils and prevents them from being lost.

Type 80 - Catering Vehicle

This is for use by the first-level catering units in field conditions. The 80-category catering vehicle consists of one main vehicle (tractor) and one two-axle trailer. The trailer weighs no more than 3.6 tons, of which the chassis and cargo box weigh no more than 2.3 tons. This vehicle can prepare meals for 400 people per hour. Each meal consists of one main dish and one side dish, excluding time for making soup and boiling water. Staple food (rice and steamed buns) is calculated at 6 liang (300 grams) per person per meal, and side dishes are calculated at 3-5 liang (150-250 grams) per person per meal. Kneading dough, making steamed buns, and chopping vegetables are mechanized or semi-mechanized. The operating personnel are 7 people (excluding the driver and supply officer).

Type 83 catering vehicle

The 83-small kitchen vehicle consists of a single-axle, two-wheeled trailer. All cooking equipment is mounted on the trailer. It does not come with a dedicated tractor unit; it can be towed by a Jiefang CA10B truck or other vehicles. The vehicle is equipped with a tent. In marching mode, the tent serves as a cover, with a trailer travel height of 1.5 meters. When deployed for operation, the cover can be used as a tent with an area of ​​6 square meters and a working height of 2.15 meters.

Type 83 bread processing cart

The Type 83 bread processing truck consists of two Jiefang CA-30 off-road trucks and two dual-axle four-wheel trailers. This vehicle can operate in areas below 3500 meters above sea level and in environments with humidity ranging from -30 to 35°C. It can operate normally in wind (level 6), rain (moderate rain), and snow. The truck requires 8 operators and can produce continuously, averaging 100-200 kg of flour per hour (equivalent to 150-190 kg of bread). It has a certain degree of off-road mobility. The maximum speed when towed is 60 km/h, the maximum gradeability is 15 degrees, and the minimum turning radius is 10 meters. The modified main truck has a total weight of 8.4 tons, the proofing trailer 3.1 tons, and the oven trailer 3.45 tons. The working area is 10 x 15 meters.

84 - Bread Processing Cart

The 84 bread processing unit consists of a semi-trailer train towed by a Dongfeng EQ-240 off-road vehicle, a Dongfeng EQ-240 off-road transport vehicle, and a 50 kW single-axle power station trailer. The semi-trailer train is the bread processing vehicle. The off-road transport vehicle is the support vehicle. The power station trailer is the power supply vehicle. This unit can form a mobile small bread processing plant under field conditions. The unit uses a rapid fermentation process in bread production, shortening the production cycle to 2 hours. Continuous production is possible, averaging 105-125 kg of bread per hour. A total of 2.3-2.7 tons of bread can be produced per day. Each shift is operated by 7-8 people.

The Plateau cooking car

Troops can cook meals while marching!" Recently, a reporter followed soldiers of a combat support battalion of an army brigade on a mobile march and witnessed a novel scene: a newly equipped high-speed cooking vehicle was operating while driving. Upon arrival at the destination, the cooks unloaded steaming hot meals from the vehicle.

Although no steel is seen being used to cook the food, the aroma of food fills the air. Battalion Commander Pan Xiaojun happily said, "With this mobile kitchen, our soldiers can enjoy hot and delicious meals wherever they go on the snowy plateau."

Modern warfare places higher demands on the scale, efficiency, and mobility of troop thermal support. For many years, the Chinese military has consistently focused on improving its logistical support capabilities. A number of advanced small kitchen trailers are actively deployed on the front lines of training exercises. Now, the deployment of new high-altitude kitchen vehicles has enabled a new leap forward in the thermal support capabilities of training units stationed on the snowy plateau.

The new high-altitude catering vehicle boasts strong off-road mobility, allowing for simultaneous mobility and support without the need for unfolding or retracting. It also features fully automated vegetable cutting and dough kneading. "In the past," explained driver He Aijun, "catering trailers required fixed operations and couldn't meet the demands for high mobility. These new trailers..."

The new high-speed cooking vehicle boasts strong off-road mobility, allowing for simultaneous operation and support without the need for joint opening and closing. It also features fully automated dough cutting and kneading. "In the past," explained driver He Aijun, "traditional trailer trucks required fixed operations and couldn't meet the demands for high mobility. Recently, he has been driving a new type of high-altitude mobile kitchen vehicle through canyons and across glacial rivers, while the cooking squad prepares rice on the move—a process that is remarkably fast and efficient.

Strong high-altitude support capabilities are a major feature of the new high-altitude cooking vehicle. "The food service team leader, Wang Fu, told reporters that starting a fire in the extremely cold conditions of the plateau is a difficult task. The new high-altitude cooking vehicle uses advanced combustion technology, ensuring stable and efficient operation, and can work in environments ranging from 41°C to 46°C at an altitude of 4500 meters," he said.

A new type of high-altitude mobile kitchen vehicle was maneuvering rapidly across the snowy plateau; outside the windows, gale-force winds raged and dust swirled. Through the vehicle's monitoring system, the reporter observed three cooks operating the main food-processing equipment—working seamlessly within the compact galley—and soon, a fresh meal consisting of four dishes, a soup, and a staple grain, sufficient for over a hundred people, was ready to serve.

It is understood that with the delivery of batches of new military supply equipment, the PLA's plateau food support model is undergoing a qualitative change, becoming more adaptable to future battlefields. 

Dongfeng catering truck

A.

Processing Capacity:4 Chefs Can Cook Food For 300 People Within 1 Hour.

Can Be Processed Rice, Porridge, Steamed Bread. Wash vegetables, cut vegetables, dough mixer, refrigeration, water purification and other functions.

Main Parameters:

Dimensions: 7588 x 2470 x 3240 Mm

Kitchen Room Size: 4500×2460×2000   Mm

Maximum Total Weight Vehicle: 10800 Kg

Maximum Speed   : 90 Km/h

Fuel   : Diesel Oil

B. 

Processing Capacity: 6 Chefs Can Cook Food For 900 People Within 1 Hour.

Can Be Processed Rice, Porridge, Steamed Bread.

Equal To 140kg Rice Or  Steamed Bread Or Cake.

Main Parameters:

Dimensions: 7588 x 2470 x 3240 Mm

Kitchen Room Size: 7588 x 6035 x 3240 Mm

Maximum Total Weight Vehicle: 10800 Kg

Maximum Speed  : 90 Km/h

Fuel   : Diesel Oil

PK-24 

From https://kvh-dukla.cz/2021/02/09/prevozna-polni-kuchyne-pk-24/

The Pk 24 mobile kitchen consists of a fireplace and a wheelbarrow. The fireplace of the kitchen 24 can be attached separately to the back of a motor vehicle with a towing eye. For the Pk 24 mobile kitchen, to transport it in a trailer behind a motor vehicle, it is necessary to remove the drawbar and insert an attachment with an eye for hanging it to the motor vehicle instead.

The Pk 24 fireplace has 3 stainless steel boilers with a capacity of 75 liters. One boiler can be replaced with a stainless steel saucepan with a lid for preparing a roux or frying. Depending on the content of the boilers / a total of 225 L ) the kitchen is used to cook food for all units with a capacity of 210 diners. All daily meals can be prepared in the kitchen, including soup, meat and side dishes.

PK-26

From https://www.feldkuechencenter.de/pk26/

The PK 26 is the smaller field kitchen of the Czech Army. It is a popular choice for first-time field kitchen users and enjoys high demand due to its light weight and low purchase price. Unfortunately, in our experience and opinion, the original version of this kitchen is very problematic to use!

Technical data:

• Total length (mm): 2,840

• Overall width (mm): 1,620

• Overall height (mm): 1,430 without chimney

Equipment:

• Cooking kettles (Ltr): 3 x 75

•  Braising kettle (Ltr.): 1 x 40 (optionally available instead of cooking kettle)

•  Insulated containers (Ltr.): 4 x 18

•  Operation: Diesel burner or solid fuels

• Truck towing eye, but conversion to car ball hitch possible

The PK 26 is frequently purchased, but often also sold very quickly. Because it is centrally heated by only one firebox, and therefore only one heat source is available, its usage possibilities are extremely limited.

Only single-walled kettles are available as standard equipment, which almost inevitably leads to many dishes burning very quickly. Double-walled kettles, frying pans, and blind lids are available as accessories, for example, if you only want to cook with one kettle.

Unlike Progress kitchens or almost all other kitchens, these kettles don't have drain taps! This means that cleaning them requires laboriously lifting them out and cleaning them. With a kettle that's only half full, this can often be quite an adventurous undertaking.

KP-26 H

From https://www.armedconflicts.com/CZK-PK-26-H-polna-kuchyna-privesna-t63040

Field kitchen with the possibility of use as a source of energy for food preparation either solid fuel (wood) or diesel (diesel burner was demountable).

There are three single-shell stainless steel boilers, each weighing 20.5 kg and a volume of 75 l for food preparation and 4 containers for heated water (the water in these containers is used primarily to remove excess heat, secondarily it can be used in the preparation of beverages, or washing dishes).

Technical data:

• Amount of prepared food (daily doses): 50 - 150

• Time required to reach temp: 30 - 40 min

• Diesel consumption: 4 l/h

• Fuel tank capacity: 40 l

• Operating pressure in the fuel system: 100 - 300 kPa

• Weight: 580 kg (+500 kg accessories)

• Length: 2438 mm

• Width: 1565 mm

• Height: 2100 mm

• Max. trailer speed: 50 km/h

PK-60

From https://www.vhu.cz/exhibit/privesna-kuchyne-cs-armady-pk-60/

In 1964, military tests of the new PK-60 field kitchen were carried out. It was originally intended to completely replace the existing PK-26 field kitchen, but in the end it was decided to gradually replace the losses of the older field kitchen. The new field kitchen had better terrain clearance, better protection of cooking boilers from radioactive dust and a better chassis. The field kitchen was manufactured by Agrostroj from Prostějov.

The PK 60 field kitchen was intended for transporting and cooking food in the field and during exercises for units with a capacity of 50 to 150 people. Food was issued at the distribution center. Food was only delivered if there was enough time to prepare the food after the distribution was completed.

The main parts of the PK 60 field kitchen are a single-axle chassis, a fireplace cabinet, a thermos cabinet, a tool box, a device for attaching the fireplace to the vehicle, a fiberglass cover, side rails and two arches for adapting the chassis to a flatbed body. The accessories also include a tent shelter.

The PK 60 mobile kitchen was acquired into the collections of the Prague Institute of Civil Engineering in 1987 from the Pardubice Institute of Civil Engineering 7746.

Searches show that French travelling kitchens (Cuisine roulante), or most of them, are known as Cuisine Marion, having been made by the steel fabrication company Chaudronnerie Marion (Public Limited Company) residing in Seine, France.

From www.museedelagrandeguerre.com/collections/cuisine-roulante/

As early as 1905, the French army became interested in mobile kitchens already used in the German and British armies, and carried out tests.

A ministerial directive of 1912 confirmed its adoption for infantry and engineers.

However, at the very beginning of the Great War in August 1914, this type of equipment was virtually nonexistent: only about thirty units were in service with the armies. Communal meals were preferred. But the stabilization of the front accelerated the transition: 12,870 units were urgently ordered from French and foreign manufacturers during the winter of 1914-1915.

Numerous different models were put into service before a single standard model was adopted in 1917.

This Marion Cuisine was invented in 1953, and patent approved in 1955.

It was fuelled by Petrol or Diesel.

I feel that this is the kitchen that inspired the Karcher trailer, copied by Argentina in 2024, and the Israeli Netzer-Sereni Model 85A field kitchen trailer of the late 1970s

French Dinky 823 - Cuisine roulante

Dinky were very good at making models of military vehicles. The Marion mobile field kitchen was made between 1962 and 1966

Unknown French

Many Russians believe that the first travelling kitchen, or soup cart, was invented in Russia in 1903, by  Anton Turchanovich.

From Forgotten by everyone... inventor of the field kitchen Anton Turchanovich

https://day.kyiv.ua/ru/article/pochta-dnya/vsemi-zabytyy

And in 1898, as a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander for logistics of the 12th Regiment (stationed in Zhmerynka), he began developing the design for his own mobile kitchen. It was there, in Zhmerynka (or, according to other sources, in Tulchin), that the soldier's "kitchen-bakery-boiler" was created in 1903. The inventor was subsequently awarded "patent for privileges" by the Russian Minister of Trade and Industry, number 12256.

In 1909, several of Turchanovich's kitchens and the technical documentation were donated to the French army. Other kitchens were developed during that period, but our fellow countryman's invention remained the dominant one. It quickly gained popularity, and by the start of World War I, the entire Russian army, as well as the armies of other countries involved in the war, were equipped with such kitchens. Since then, the kitchens have constantly evolved in design. Today, they can be mounted on two-wheeled trailers, cars, or tracked tractors.

Other designs thought to be French

The invention is one more proof of the care and thought which are given in this war to any and every means by which the lot of the troops may be made as comfortable as the inevitably crude and hard conditions of war will permit. The arrival of this new portable kitchen is sure of a welcome from the men whose lot while on active service it wil help to mitigate (French War Office Official Photograph; supplied by Photopress.)

The German Field Kitchen - the Goulash cannon 

The nickname of Goulash cannon is said to have come from an observer on the Kaiser's airship, whilst viewing the Kaiser’s army training exercises from above. Known as the Imperial Maneuvers (Kaisermanöver), they were annual large-scale field training events led by Kaiser Wilhelm II to test German military strategy, showcase imperial power, and train top command staff before World War one.

German newspapers of 1894 talk about the new invention being known as Marschküchen (March kitchen or Marching kitchen), because they could cook on the march.

The Reform (German newspaper) – 11 May 1850

The first mobile field kitchen.

A report from Rendsburg states: We encountered a most peculiar sight. On the Kieler Landstraße, a contraption approached the fortress, resembling a locomotive about as much as two peas in a pod, except that it was somewhat smaller and pulled by horses on an ordinary country road. Otherwise, everything was quite strange; the tall chimney smoked as it should, and glowing slag fell from the chimney onto the road from time to time. The monstrosity, steaming and smoking, entered through the gate and moved towards the fortress, where 400 men awaited it and greeted it with cheers. Upon arrival, it opened its maw and spewed out such a mass of pea soup that those 400 men were thoroughly satisfied. You may have guessed what I actually wanted to tell you. It was a field kitchen, designed by the apothecary Heinrich Zeise and his son Theodor in Altona, and manufactured by Messrs. Schweffel & Son in Kiel. It is intended for use in the field and can cook any meal for 400 men in 3 hours. The main thing is that the cart performs its function equally well while driving and while stationary. For example, that pea dish was cooked on the way here from Kiel. Those who participated in the meal assured us that they had never eaten such well-cooked peas. 

Cooking in this field kitchen is done with steam generated by a steam boiler, which, like a locomotive boiler, rests on a four-wheeled carriage supported by compression springs. The cooking kettle is uniquely connected to and within this steam boiler and is completely steam-tight. Cooking is done with highly heated steam, and smaller cooking vessels can be attached to the kettle to prepare various dishes simultaneously. A separate filling device is attached to the steam boiler, allowing water to be added without a pressure pump, even when the steam in the boiler is under high pressure. The boiler can be heated with any fuel, for which purpose the combustion chamber under the boiler can be enlarged as desired.