Military garrisons in North America were provisioned with a diet based primarily on domesticates. A relationship between colonial diets and nationality has been an assumed truism, encouraging the belief that colonial diets were static and predetermined by European norms and leading to devaluation of colonists’ adaptability and agency. We challenge that perspective using zooarchaeological data on soldiers’ diets at 49 American fortifications in North America. Statistical comparisons reveal that some sites relied heavily on provisioned livestock, while others did not. Dietary patterns were significantly impacted by accessibility, length of occupation, garrison size, and local infrastructure. This evidence suggests that reliance on wild game was an adaptive response to local environmental and cultural factors influencing the accessibility of preferred domesticates, regardless of nationality.

北美的军事驻军主要以驯养动物为基础提供饮食。殖民地饮食与国籍之间的关系一直是公认的老生常谈，鼓励人们相信殖民地饮食是静态的并且由欧洲规范预先确定，并导致殖民者的适应性和能动性贬值。我们使用关于北美 49 个美国防御工事的士兵饮食的动物考古数据来挑战这种观点。统计比较表明，一些地点严重依赖供应的牲畜，而另一些则不然。饮食模式受到可达性、占领时间长短、驻军规模和当地基础设施的显着影响。