Bucellatum is a Roman form of the ubiquitous Hard Tack whixh has fed the armies of the ancients to nearly modern times.  Basically a cooked flour “cake” (Cake in NAME only, not flavor) with a minimal amount of salt (a preservative and binder) and oil.  The mixture is cooked hard in the oven by basically evaporating the water out of it.  Use caution when eating it!  You can break a tooth!   We recommend a “gnawing” action to eat it “fresh” out of the bag.

Bucellatum biscuits can be boiled in water to soften them and use them as a filler for a soup or stew.  The rumor that Bucellatum inspired the Armies of Rome to conquer the world in search of condiments cannot be confirmed.

4 cups - Whole Wheat flour or Stone Ground Wheat Meal
2 teaspoons - Sea Salt
2 tablespoons - Olive Oil

1.5 Cups - Water

Mix Sea Salt, Olive oil and Whole Wheat Flour or Stone Ground Wheat Meal in mixing bowl.  Add water a little at a time and mix in until you get a stiff dough.  Be cautious of having dough that is too sticky!  If it sticks to your hands, add a little flour.  Form into squares about 2” by 3” or pancakes about 3” round and about 3/8" to 1/2" thick on an ungreased baking sheet and poke some holes in them (we have a couple of pattern hole-pokers we use to personalize them using nails through a ½” piece of plywood to spell out LEG VI, or SPQR, or simply use a nail or fork to poke 16-20 holes deep in the dough.  You may need to coat the nail or fork with a light grease if your dough is sticky!!).

Bake for 3 hours at 250 degrees (F), then pry one off the pan and break it open (use the extra dough after cutting the squares to make a test piece you can break and (argh) sample).  Note:  If it requires a hammer to break it open, you got it just right!  If it's hard and dry all the way through, it's done, but if there is any gumminess or moisture give it another hour in the oven, or simply turn off the oven leave it in overnight to dry out.  Humid environments like South Carolina may require an extra hour in the oven.  Do not turn up the temperature and avoid browning your tack!  It will create a strong burned flavor and make your barely edible tack inedible!

Store in a cotton cloth bag in a cool dry place, and it will last roughly 200 years (Seriously, US Civil War Hardtack is still out there!)

Sweet Bucellatum

To cheat a little, substitute 4 teaspoons of honey for the salt, or, to cheat a little more, add 4 tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of ground cinnamon instead of salt.  This will be a little easier on the palate and give you some variety.  Note that these will not last as well, since all sorts of little critters love sugar!

 Elegant Bucellatum 

Here’s one for the Officer Class!  Use the standard recipe and add 1 teaspoon of Rosemary, 1 teaspoon of Oregano, and one teaspoon of Parsley for that formal victory celebration.  Serve with Vino… lots of vino.

 Revolutionary and Civil War Hardtack

To make a more “modern” hardtack, use Bleached Pastry Flour (it is a finer grind of regular bleached flour) and add 3 more teaspoons of salt.  Follow the other instructions as written.

Some things never change!  At least MRE crackers are not as hard!