Military Diet on the Border: Butchery Analysis at Fort Brown (41CF96) Cameron County, TX

Summary

Archaeological investigations at Fort Brown (41CF96) have provided a wealth of information about military life in south Texas. This re-analysis of the faunal material recovered by the Archaeological Research Laboratory’s survey efforts in 1988 investigates butchery patterns found at the site. The butchering patterns for cattle are decidedly unlike modern practice; while some evidence for typical modern cuts, like steaks exist, beef ox coxae and sacrum were sliced similarly to more meat-bearing regions. The assemblage reflects cuts of meat that would have been fairly inexpensive and the process of slices carcasses in such ways would have allowed for easy cooking within stews or soups. The butchery patterns seen at Fort Brown are compared and contrasted to early 20th century military standards. Local, and particularly Mexican, influences on foodways are evidenced through the faunal record at Fort Brown.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017   •
• Honoring Cowtown: Cattle Husbandry in Historical Zooarchaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 148