A successful sea voyage requires not only a reliable compass and a solid ship; For sailors, delicious food is also necessary. Throughout history, from Vikings and their salted fish to Captain Cook and his pickled vegetables, the meals made by sailors at sea not only met their needs, but also reflected their cultural experiences at sea.

Polynesians: Preference for protein

If you want to ask, "Who first mastered the essence of the art of marine catering?" ; That must be Polynesians from the 11 th century. Polynesians have learned to enjoy a lot of nutritious food when seafarers in other regions suffer from septicemia because of eating stale bacon. They put the food on a canoe and used it for the voyage to the new island. In order to get protein, they will catch fish, crustaceans and octopus in the sea; If the catch is not enough, they sometimes slaughter pigs, dogs and chickens. These livestock are usually prepared to be transported to new territories for breeding. The medium-sized boats used by Polynesians are 15 to 18 meters long and can carry 24 people. Some boats are even equipped with movable fireplaces, which are made of stone or coral, so that sailors can cook safely at sea. They usually bake meat and some plants. For the caught fish, they usually eat them raw or dipped in salt water. Polynesian seafarers will also carry crops such as breadfruit and taro, as well as stored fruits and vegetables. These marine explorers also packaged foods with long shelf life (such as fake pineapple sauce and fermented breadfruit rich in vitamins and carbohydrates) as emergency foods.

Vikings: salt

Vikings often sailed to Greenland and Newfoundland; Therefore, they need the best food, or food that can be preserved for weeks or even months. Most of the time, they eat barley porridge and butter; Sometimes, they also like to eat dried flounder and cod, bread, and cooked or preserved meat with wheat. Vikings also fish when conditions permit; They usually hang their catches on rigging and let the cold North Atlantic salt spray preserve them. Like most Europeans of his time, Vikings rowed ashore, cooked on the beach and replenished their water. Otherwise, they eat prepared cold meals on the boat. In the 11 th century, sailors drew lots every day to decide who was in charge of cooking, but later, Viking warships and trading ships began to pay special chefs to cook.

Captain Cook: Conquering Vitamin C

In 1741, Admiral George Anson left England for the Pacific Ocean with six ships and about 2,111 men. However, when they came back four years later, only 711 crew members survived this epic journey, and most of them were killed by scurvy. Scurvy is a disaster for the British navy due to vitamin C deficiency, and its symptoms include tooth decay and limb cracking. In 1753, James Lind, a Scottish naval surgeon, concluded that the limited diet of British sailors (hard cakes, salted meat, and lack of fruits and vegetables) might be related to scurvy, and the intake of citrus could cure the disease. In 1778, when Captain James Cook was sailing in the South Pacific, he kept fresh fruits and vegetables on board as much as possible, but these foods would soon go bad on board. However, he has prepared a plan in advance to take some experimental foods on board to prevent scurvy, including malt, concentrated solution of citrus fruits, mustard, vinegar and 3565 kilograms of sauerkraut, all of which are rich in vitamin C. Thanks to Cook's meal plan, none of his crew died of scurvy during the voyage.

polar explorers

pulling sleds to climb mountains needs to consume 11111 calories every day. This kind of hard work made polar explorers in the early 21th century especially like high-calorie food, and their favorite was Mexican dry meat pie. Mexican dry meat patty is a high-calorie mixture of dried meat and fat, and sometimes berries are added to flavor it. Polar explorers usually eat dry patties with chocolate and muffins, and sometimes add them to oatmeal or add water to make a "stew". Famous explorers often make their own recipes for Mexican dry patties: Roald Amundsen likes to add peas and oatmeal, while Captain Robert Falcon Scott likes a lot of protein, a little fat and a little coarse grains.

Japanese sailors: It's not enough to eat only white rice

At the end of 19, an outbreak of beriberi destroyed imperial japanese navy. For example, in 1881, this disease (caused by the lack of vitamin B1) broke out in the Japanese fleet, and one in every three sailors was infected, which greatly weakened Japan's ability to wage war at sea. Berberi destroys muscles and nerves, leading to atrophy, edema, paralysis and even death if left untreated. In 1881, Dr. Kanehiro Takaki thought that this disease could be related to sailors' low protein diet. Japanese sailors mainly live on white rice, which lacks protein, and the content of vitamin B1 is only one tenth of that of brown rice. Takaki persuaded naval officials to provide sailors with a more balanced diet, including meat, fish, vegetables and barley, which almost helped the navy eliminate the disease.