The Army unveiled some of its new meals ready to eat (MRE) at the Pentagon on Wednesday. As military chefs refine their cuisine, top on the list — or at least most highly rated in Army field tests — was the chicken pesto, prepared with sun-dried tomatoes and farfel pasta. The pesto pasta will take the place of chicken with cavatelli and the already-departed pasta with Alfredo sauce — widely considered the military's most disgusting mealtime offerings.

The new dishes appeal to spicier tastes, a reflection of the changing preferences of young grunts, Darsch said. They also are a nod to the fact that soldiers and Marines frequently dump large amounts of hot sauce on their MREs.

"We are all used to carrying a bottle of hot sauce around," said Col. John Biggs, among those in the Pentagon courtyard Wednesday sampling the new offerings. Biggs and Lt. Col. Vincent Whitehurst gave the extra spice a thumbs up.

"It adds more flavor," Whitehurst said, "or it conceals the preservatives."

Most MREs come with a container of hot sauce. Of 24 MREs currently available, 15 come with Tabasco sauce, while the others have red pepper flakes, a "seasoning blend" or jalapeño ketchup.

The hot sauce is more than just to cover up preservatives, in many of the meals it's to conceal the bad taste. The Military has a tough job of finding ways to provide food that will keep and still taste good enough to eat. I've had both C-Rations and MRE's and with rare exceptions, they really aren't something you would want to eat on purpose, if you had a choice. Keeping the soldiers fed and fed well is a good step towards boosting morale. A great meal can make a big difference sometimes.

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