"What Did Sailors in the Georgian Royal Navy Eat?" Topic

"The importance of a good diet to the efficiency and success of the Georgian Royal Navy cannot be underestimated – a success that depended on the manual exertions of hundreds of thousands of men.

The type of food (victuals) was also significant because a lack of vitamin C was the major cause of scurvy, the scourge of the Royal Navy.

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Armand

Chakapuli?

A favourite was pea and hm soup. The peas were dried ashore, and could be stored for years like that. Bacon was cured ashore and was stored in brine in barrels or dry in the cookhouse

The peas had to be soaked in water overnight to soften them, and they would then be boiled with bits of bacon. The use of seawater along with the the brine in the bacon meant that it did not require lots of salt to be added, although pepper might well be.

Broken ships' biscuits might be added to thicken the soup, and any fresh herbs and vegetables that were available might also be added.

Thanks!

Armand

The weevils in the ships biscuits – don't forget the "lesser of the two weevils"