What Did Pirates Eat?
Date 2008/9/19 19:20:00 | Topic: Whatever!
| HAPPY INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!
In honor of this momentous occasion we thought it would be cool and a little educational to fill you in on what a standard meal for a pirate would be. Aside from the obvious rum and grog, pirates ate and drank a wide variety of things.
The first few weeks at sea were very bountiful for pirates. There was plenty of meat, cheese, eggs, and what ever else they could get their hands on! But, after a couple of weeks, things would not be so easy. Pirates obviously did not have refrigeration so most of the meat and vegetables had to be pickled or salted. Eventually all of the food would go bad and start to rot and spoil.
There was livestock on board. Usually a few chickens and cows, but they never made it the entire voyage. Chickens were kept alive as long as they laid eggs. Once that stopped it was into the pot! Cows were kept for the milk. Once the cow's food supply was gone it was STEAK AND RIBS FOR EVERYONE!
Read more below...
After several months at sea things became desperate. That's were "Bone Soup" comes in. "Bone soup" is a soup that was made from just what it sounds like. After all of the animals on board had been eaten, the bones were piled up in a corner of the ship and saved. Any bones from fish, turtles, or birds caught along the way were added to the pile as well. Eventually, all of the bones would be thrown into a pot (rotten meat and all) and simmered for days. Pirates would then drink the soup to stay alive. Here's a little history too:
In 1670, Sir Henry Morgan's crew ate their leather satchels. They recommended cutting the leather into strips. After soaking these, they tenderized them by beating and rubbing the leather with stones. They scraped off the hair, then roasted or grilled the strips before cutting them into bite-size pieces. The recipe suggested serving them with a lot of water.
So on this day where you should sound like a pirate, just be thankful you don't have to eat like one too!
Lastly...
Ahoy thar me hearties! Don't ye be a lily-livered landlubber! Pour ye a tankard of rum, chew some salt pork, and we'll keelhaul all the vegans we see! ARRRRRRRR!!!
|
|