India, Nov. 14 -- "It has been said that civilization is twenty-four hours and two meals away from barbarism," Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett write, in Good Omens (1990).

Through history, the kitchen and the battlefield have been closer than we think. Spices have redrawn territories; new confections have fed armies. See how these food items were shaped by war.

CANDY BARS

The chocolate bar has been around since the dawn of the industrial revolution. But not the candy bar. (The difference, of course, being that the latter need not contain any chocolate; and relies for its flavours and textures on sugar treated in different ways.)

So where did the candy bar come from? It was invented in the US, as a way to simplify army rations, during ...