Ration-squares were a type of food served to the cadets of the Academy for Young Imperials on the planet Lothal during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Around five years before the Battle of Yavin, the human Cadet Jai Kell complained to his roommates at the academy that he longed for maize rolls and Westhills butter instead of another meal of ration-squares. Lieutenant Chiron, however, told his cadets that being in the Emperor's service made ration-squares comparable to the finest nerf steak.
Ration-squares were first mentioned in the young readers' novel Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks, which was written by Jason Fry and released in 2015. They were spelled with and without a hyphen.