Friday, April 19, 2019

Sailor Rations in the 18th Century



What did sailors eat in the 1700s? It wasn't all hardtack, https://youtu.be/FyjcJUGuFVg even though there was plenty of that. The provisions for each man were strictly enforced, because it could be a long time before the ship took on more supplies. Jon Townsend uses a published sailor's diary to explain how sailors ate, as he recreates a recipe for burgoo.

3 comments:

Mikey said...

I like to read a lot, and I've read books set in that time period.
They sometimes would mention Burgoo, usually not happily and I really
never gave it any thought. Well now I know, and some little masochistic
part of me wants to try it.

Bicycle Bill said...

I suppose like anything else, it starts out one way and can be 'enhanced'. They mentioned adding molasses and possibly nutmeg; I suppose if they had somehow acquired some vegetables or meat that might have been added to the communal pot as well.

Think of boiled rice.  Now add some spices and some legumes, and you have red beans and rice. Add some meat, and you've created jambalaya.  HUGE difference!!!

-"BB"-

Nimble said...

I've never seen anyone so excited about oatmeal before. Good to know what burgoo means. The source material A Seafaring Life sounds really interesting.