Many of us have eaten American MREs, whether it was during military service, on a camping trip, or as an emergency ration. While there are plenty of jokes along the lines of “meal ready to excrete” or “meal rejected by everyone,” most MREs we've tried are reasonably palatable. That said, it's always interesting to see how other countries and cultures approach the MRE formula. The YouTube channel Steve1989MREInfo provides a look into these often-strange international culinary adventures.

We recently came across one particularly interesting episode where Steve samples the contents of a rare Russian Special Forces 24-hour Mountain Ration. This was reportedly produced for members of the Spetsnaz operating in challenging high-altitude environments, and it contains some food that those of us in the west might consider a bit unorthodox. Namely, there are two types of pork brain pâté, one of which also contains liver.

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Despite these ingredients, Steve calls this one of the best military rations he's ever had. Here's an outline of the surprisingly comprehensive spread of items inside this 24-hour ration:

• Beef porridge
• Beef goulash with potatoes
• Minced sausage (appears similar to Spam)
• Pork brain pâté
• Liver and pork brain pâté
• 3 packets of cereal/porridge
• Nut and apricot bar
• Cheese spread
• Apple spread
• Chocolate hazelnut spread
• 5 packets of crackers
• 5 bars of dark chocolate
• Cherry drink mix
• Coffee packets and tea bags
• Sugar, salt, pepper
• Multi-vitamins
• Water purification tablets
• Matches and mini solid-fuel stove
• 2 flameless ration heaters
• Plastic spoons and pouch-opening tool
• Antiseptic towelettes for cleaning skin and utensils

What are your thoughts? Would you give the pork brain pâté a try, only eat it in an emergency, or would you rather starve? Let us know in the comments. For more ration reviews, follow Steve1989MREInfo on YouTube.

Written by Patrick McCarthy