Loof and eggs over a campfire, the soldier's ration
Pressed and spiced canned beef, sliced and pan-fried with eggs and onion over a campfire. The salty, nourishing comfort of men on operations.
Pressed and spiced canned beef, sliced and pan-fried with eggs and onion over a campfire. The salty, nourishing comfort of men on operations.
You want to know what a soldier eats when hot rations don't arrive? Loof. A can of pressed meat, heavy in the pack, that keeps for months in sun or rain. At the bivouac, you open it with a knife, slice it, sizzle it in the mess tin with an onion and two eggs if you're lucky. It's not my mother's cooking, but when you've marched all night, I swear it's worth any feast. You eat fast, you move on.
- •Loof (spiced canned beef) — one can (canned protein base)
- •Onion — one, sliced (aromatic)
- •Eggs — as available (nourishing binder)
- •Camp bread — as needed (accompaniment)
Loof and eggs over a campfire, the soldier's ration
Pressed and spiced canned beef, sliced and pan-fried with eggs and onion over a campfire. The salty, nourishing comfort of men on operations.
Why this dish? Before being Prime Minister, Sharon was a general on every front, from the Suez Canal to the Negev: loof — spiced canned beef, an iconic IDF ration — is the very taste of the military campaign life he led for decades.
You want to know what a soldier eats when hot rations don't arrive? Loof. A can of pressed meat, heavy in the pack, that keeps for months in sun or rain. At the bivouac, you open it with a knife, slice it, sizzle it in the mess tin with an onion and two eggs if you're lucky. It's not my mother's cooking, but when you've marched all night, I swear it's worth any feast. You eat fast, you move on.
Ingredients (period version)
- Loof (spiced canned beef) — one can (canned protein base)
- Onion — one, sliced (aromatic)
- Eggs — as available (nourishing binder)
- Camp bread — as needed (accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Corned beef or canned loof — 1 can (200 g) (protein base)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Eggs — 4 (binder)
- Oil — 1 tbsp (cooking)
- Black pepper, paprika — to taste (seasoning)
- Pita or camp bread — as needed (accompaniment)
Method
- Slice the onion and brown it in a pan (or over the fire) with a little oil.
- Cut the loof into slices or crumble it, add to the onion and fry until it caramelizes on the edges.
- Crack the eggs over the top, season with pepper, and let them set while stirring gently.
- Serve directly in the pan (or mess tin) with bread for dipping.
How it was made : Loof, a contraction of the English meatloaf, was the canned meat ration of the IDF for decades, distributed in combat packs. Sterilized and sealed, it kept without refrigeration — a vital asset in the desert. It was heated on a gasoline stove or a simple stone fire.
The contemporary twist : A nostalgic bistro version: pan-fried loof on a slice of grilled challah, runny fried egg, and caramelized onions — the ration ennobled as brunch.
Ariel Sharon · Charactorium
