GALETTE

GALETTE (French: galette), a dry bread biscuit of special preparation. Possessing good nutritional value and compactness, G. have found wide application in the food supply of all armies, especially in field conditions (in the Russian army since 1912). G. have greater resistance than crackers against microorganisms and grain pests and without spoilage withstand long-term storage (up to three years). G. proved very convenient for creating inviolable military food reserves and are an essential component of the 'field pack', 'iron ration' in wartime. There are many varieties of G., depending on the types of flour and additional substances in their composition. Simple unsalted G. are prepared without yeast, from a mixture of flour (65%) and water (35%), with the addition of salt. More often, however, so-called sourdough G. are used, prepared from dough on sourdough or yeast. G. are baked either from rye flour, or from wheat flour, or from a mixture of both, with the addition of salt, as well as oatmeal and corn flour. In addition to flour, G. may contain various fats, milk, eggs, meat powder, sugar and flavorings (caraway, vanilla, etc.). Russian military G. are prepared from a mixture of wheat and rye flour with an admixture of 5-15% oatmeal; French ones-from pure wheat flour or with the addition of wheat gluten (20%); German ones-from equal parts of wheat and rye flour with the addition of eggs or meat. In the preparation of Russian military G., for every 10 kg of dry flour mixture, 30 g of compressed yeast (or 45 g of soda and 6 g of ammonium), 100 g of sugar and 100 g of salt are added. The production of G. consists of the following processes: preparation of very stiff dough, fermentation or chemical leavening, rolling, shaping, baking, mandatory subsequent drying of G., sorting and packaging. Baking of G. is done in special ovens, at a temperature of 180-200°, for 25-30 minutes. Properly prepared military wheat G. have a slightly brown color, a smooth surface covered with small holes without cracks, uniform fine porosity of the break, easy wetting in cold water (1-2 minutes), in hot water (1/2 minutes), moisture content not more than 8-12%, acidity not more than 5° and ash content not more than 2.5%. In terms of nutrient content, G. are very diverse, depending on the nature of the flour and properties of the admixtures. The average composition of various biscuits in % is as follows: Biscuits: Rye......10.8 ! Wheat .... 9.9 j Rye-wheat I with oatmeal* . . 13.9 ! Wheat, with ad- j dition of 5% | oatmeal.....13.4 1.1 2.0 1.6 0.8 71.8 76.0 70.5 70.0 I Water 2 S In 3.02 0.8 2.6 2.2 11.5 9.5 8.7 10.7 1.74 1.70 2.6 2.8 * 50% rye flour, 35% oatmeal and 15% wheat flour. The digestibility of individual components of G. is expressed by the following average figures: Biscuits Nitrogenous substances Carbohydrates Rye-wheat with oatmeal (according to Kianitsin) . . . Rye (according to Okunevsky). Wheat with oatmeal (according to Romashev, Shaternikov) 74% 69.4% 75.7% 93% 96% 92.1% In terms of digestible substances (proteins, carbohydrates), biscuits are quite close to the corresponding varieties of bread. Caloric value of 100 g of rye biscuits-376.63 (proteins-55.35, fats-12.09, carbohydrates-309.14); French wheat-395.63, German G. (with egg)-422.41. Replacement of bread with G. is done in the following weight quantities: 100 g of rye bread is replaced by 70 g of rye G., 100 g of wheat bread-80 g of wheat G., 100 g of crackers-100 g of biscuits from the corresponding flour. In the Red Army, replacement of the daily bread ration with G. is allowed only in an amount not exceeding 50%. A disadvantage of G. as a food is the rapid onset of satiety, therefore continuous consumption of G. should not last more than one week. Long-term use can also cause so-called 'cracker diarrhea', due to mechanical irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and simultaneous abundant drinking.-The most common pests of G. during storage are Ephesia Kuhniella, Ptinus fur, Anobium paniceum and others. Biscuits, both factory-made and mainly homemade, are widely used by northern peoples. This especially applies to the Swedes and Finns, who prepare biscuits one or more times a year and eat them all year round, rarely using fresh bread. In addition to human biscuits, there are also horse biscuits. Horse biscuits are prepared exclusively for the army and consist of oat, pea, rye, potato flour and linseed oil.