Feeding a Man of the Sea

There’s nothing like a coffee break with a sweet treat on the side, and things weren’t so different centuries ago. Everyone loves to eat—stimulating breakfasts, some comfort food after a hard day and don’t forget dessert. But what were those adventurous men of the sea we hear so much about filling their bellies with?

Through the years as I have researched the Age of Sail, I’ve always been fascinated by what those courageous men were eating while far away from home. I found wonderful details to add to my sea-themed adventures and romances, and a few recipes that needed to be tried out!

Of course, everyone is familiar with hard tack. Seamen of every deck and vessel knew the traditional hard tack or weeviled biscuit. Hard tack was nothing more than a mixture of salt, flour and water that could be baked several times, to dry out enough to last for many months. The best hope to give it some flavor was some coffee or stew to soak up. Insects, especially weevils, always found their way into the stores, but the men were used to the extra “protein”.

Sound as bad as it must have been? There were other items on the menu. Sailors maintained their diet from what the sea had to offer, especially when the standard goats, chickens, pigs and other staples ran low. Used to coops on deck, when the last chicken passed through the officer’s hands, the crew relied on hard tack and life from the sea.

What would a sailor eat from beneath the ship’s bow? What wouldn’t he? Sailors consumed whatever they could haul overboard, including dolphins and sharks and every kind of fish. Swordfish was a true delicacy, as was the turtle, which was stewed into the infamous turtle soup.
Lower deckhands were also used to a steady diet of dried peas and oatmeal (or burgoo). Fruit—the irreplaceable but tart lime—was especially necessary to prevent scurvy. No wonder the grog was such a cherished event!

An officer’s table, from the captain to the wardroom was an entire different dining experience to say the least. Officers dined on especially prepared fowl, pork and seafood, along with their favorite dishes from home, from Spotted Dog to Plum Cake. To be invited to the officer’s mess was an honor indeed.

If Age of Sail cuisine interests you, I highly recommend the wonderful companion to the MASTER AND COMMANDER series, LOBSCOUS AND SPOTTED DOG by Grossman and Thomas. You may be surprised at the level of elegant cuisine above the lower decks when men dined in wooden ships at sea.

Whatever they had ladled into their mess kits, sailors learned to eat what the sea offered up and to appreciate the times of plenty. It was a difficult career no doubt, but one that offered the same dilemma we have today when times are plenty—what to eat, what to eat…

~daniellethorne

Find out more about my sea-themed romances and adventures at www.daniellethorne.jimdo.com, and follow my blog, The Balanced Writer.

For a recent release featuring shipwrecks and hidden treasure, check out five star BY HEART AND COMPASS at Desert Breeze Publishing or Amazon.com.