Napoleon famously said that 'an army marches on its stomach', but who knew that soldiers from across the world would be powered by such a diverse range of foodstuffs including Tabasco sauce for the British and a shot of alcohol for the Italian troops?

Operational ration packs including canned, freeze-dried or pre-cooked food are dished out to many servicemen and women on the front line, providing enough food to get them through 24 hours and millions of pounds have been spent on making them as appetising as possible, with gadgets including heaters to warm the meals also included in the packs.

British troops serving in Afghanistan find themselves tucking into favourites from home including chicken tikka masala, vegetarian pasta and jam-filled biscuits, as well as familiar brands such as Typhoo tea and Kenco coffee with a tiny bottle of Tabasco sauce to spice up their meals.

Although the French used to include red wine with their ration packs they now must make do with venison pate and duck confit, as it is now only the Italians who are provided with any type of alcohol in the form of a miniature measure of 40 per cent alcohol 'cordiale' .

Estonian troops snack on smoked sprats, stuffed peppers and halva, while German forces enjoy liver sausage spread and rye bread.

The ration packs were collected from troops from across the world serving in Kabul, Afghanistan by the Guardian newspaper for a dinner in aid of charities School of Leadership, Afghanistan and The Afghan Schools Trust, attended by diplomats, aid workers, security contractors and other officials.

As they are legally banned from giving away ration packs, the Americans were unable contribute to dinner, although US ration packs can sometimes be purchased in markets should they fail to make it to Afghanistan via Pakistan. Peanut butter, spiced apple cider, almond poppy seed pound cake, cranberries and tropical punch give US soldiers a taste of home while on the front line.

Via Daily Mail