Chipped beef

Chipped beefis a form of pressed, salted and driedbeefthat has been sliced into thin pieces. Some makerssmokethe dried beef for more flavor. The modern product consists of small, thin, flexible leaves of partially driedbeef, generally sold compressed together in jars or flat in plastic packets. Theprocessed meatproducerHormelonce described it as "an air-dried product that is similar tobresaola, but not as tasty."
Chipped beef could be used to make frizzled beef (creamed chipped beef or SOS inmilitary slang), or with eggs.
Chipped beef is served in many diners and restaurants in the United States as a breakfast item.It is popular among the veteran community who generally refer to it by thedysphemism"Shit On a Shingle" or "S.O.S." (when polite company and/or children are present, the acronym is said to mean "Same Old Stuff."). Chipped beef in milk gravy is a common traditional meal served in all branches of theUnited States Armed Forcesdue to its reasonable nutritional profile, ease and speed of preparing, and relatively low cost to produce in large quantities (i.e., in quantities sufficient to properly feed an entire military outpost). Creamed chipped beef is also a standard fare on many diner menus, especially in the Mid-Atlantic, but has become harder to find in chain restaurants that serve breakfast. Among the restaurants still offering chipped beef on toast areGolden CorralandSilver Diner.IHOPno longer offers this on their menus, having substitutedsausage gravy, and the same is true forCracker Barrelrestaurants.
It is also available from companies such asStouffer'sin a frozen form which can be put on top of separately-prepared toast; it is typically quite salty. For instance, Stouffer's creamed chipped beef contains 540 mg sodium per 140kcalserving,down only slightly from 590 mg per 140 kcal serving in 2010.The mixture was also, at one point, available from bothFreezer Queenand Banquet as "hot sandwich toppers"; as of late 2007, Freezer Queen no longer makes this product, and the Banquet variety is rarely found. Finally, both the Esskay Meat Company of Baltimore and Knauss Foods make a refrigerated version of creamed chipped beef which can be easily microwaved. The meat itself is also available for purchase under the Knauss and Carson's Brand names.Steak-ummis used as a substitute.
Chipped beef on toast (or creamed chipped beef on toast) is adishcomprising awhite sauceand rehydrated slivers of dried beef, served on toasted bread. Hormel recommends flavoring the dish withWorcestershire sauce.Chipped beef is also often served onbagels,English muffins,biscuits,home fries,rice,mashed potatoand incasserole.
In the United States, chipped beef on toast was commonly served to service members of theUnited States Armed ForcesfromWorld War IthroughVietnam. It was considered emblematic of the military experience and consequently also served toBoy Scoutsof the era.In Americanmilitary slangit is commonly referred to by thedysphemism"Shit on a Shingle" (SOS).
According toWe Are The Mighty, the dish first appears in the1910 Manual for Army Cooks, where a recipe for feeding 60 men can be found as below:
Wentworth and Flexnercite no origin for the term, but noted "shingle" for slice of toast has had "some use since 1935" in the U.S. Army, mostly in the expression "shit on a shingle", and the latter had "wideWorld War IIArmy use".
In his World War II bookBand of Brothers,Stephen E. Ambroseevokes the military basics: