It was obvious when I awoke this morning I would have difficulty in a xeric environment. I was parched.

Xeric is a relatively new term, being coined in 1926 and in active use by scientists by 1940.

20 minutes ago, JamesSavik said:

I have seen xeric recipes for camp food that will last for months. They've been around for centuries. You may have even heard of the hard tack Civil War soldiers lived on.

Hard tack is basically a cracker and if the recipe is followed, it can be edible for 100+ years.