Ship’s biscuit was a staple food for sailors and soldiers for centuries. Join us as we take a journey back in time to learn how this simple, hard, and durable bread sustained armies and navies during long voyages and battles.
18 Comments on Ship’s Biscuits
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Just eat around the maggots.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the title of this post was “the lesser of two weevils” from Master & Commander. Damn, I loved this movie. Always hoped they would make a sequence but alas they never did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aPp7Kiiyg
And the end result was Scurvy. That’s the truth.
Sir Alexander Mackenzie. Errybody gets to carry 80 pounds of pemmican. And eat it if you dare. You may get the fatal shits.
“Man, I got the shits!”
“Like, normal horrific shits, or deadly horrific shits?”
“Don’t know, bro.”
“You may need to bury yourself if you die… but we need this pemmican. Give errybody ten pounds of your pemmican to carry. And carry this boat.”
I made hardtack once and it tasted surprisingly delicious in canned vegetable beef soup, like a dumpling.
At first glance Fur I read that as βShits Biscuits.β
Very interesting and informative. Loved it. Thanks.
I invented ship’s biscuits.
Nutritional?
FJB
I’ve been tempted to try my dog’s biscuits.
Were 18th century sailors as obsessed with sea salt like today’s foodies are?
I make a modified ship’s biscuit weekly. Hotter temps and bigger portions give you sourdough bread. π
I make a modified shipβs biscuit every morning… if it goes well.
Let that soak a while before flushing.
Imagine eating those with a mouthful of bad teeth….
As noted by Crackerbaby above, not nutritious, just calories.
So why again, did people go on these sea and land voyages? For the sea salt and kale I’m sure.
Thanks for this! I’ve made this a few times, back when I actually used to do things. It’s good backpacking and canoe trip food. You can experiment with the recipes. I added ginger and cinnamon to mine and made them w/ whole wheat flour, a little cornmeal and wheat, rye and/or oat bran. Break ’em up and mix them with boiling water for breakfast or just eat them – carefully – with cheese or jerky for snacks midday. Just be sure to dry them well. They’ll keep “forever” if thoroughly dried before bagging. I haven’t made any in years. I may have to try a batch just for old times sake! Thanks again! It’s funny – I was thinking about hardtack just a few days ago.
THIS ships biscuit isn’t tasty, but it IS electrifying…
https://youtu.be/02Bdh2xWPrc
Even with todays road and stores if you started out for the west coast in a covered wagon, it would still be one hell of a journey.