Cooking Rations for a sailor in the Continental Navy

30 Apr Cooking Rations for a sailor in the Continental Navy

This #TallShipTuesday in an attempt to learn a little bit more about life at sea, the crew of Providence decided it was time to make some rations. Valor Fore and Aft by Hope Rider listed the rations per person on Providence as follows:

The crew would have had enough rations to last them about 3 months without needing to restock or return to port. They also would have been able to extend some of these rations such as water by capturing rain out at sea, and making grog to keep it sanitary. The recipes for these rations (as close as traditional as we could find) are listed below.

Beef Stew

Hard Tack

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt

Process:

1. Mix together flour, water and salt to make a dry dough
2. Flatten the dough about ⅓ to ½ in thick, cut into pieces, and poke with a fork
3. Bake at 375 for 60 minutes flipping halfway through
   • You can also bake it at a lower temperature for longer

Rice with Butter and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups water
• 4 ounces of cheese

Process:

1. boil rice in 2 cups of water and 2 ounces of butter
2. Salt to taste
3. Add in 4 oz cheese

Poor Man’s Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of rice
• 1 qt milk
• 2 oz butter
• Pinch of ground allspice
• 3 oz sugar

Process:

1. Combine milk, rice, butter, allspice, and sugar in a pot be sure there is room to expand at the top of the pot
2. Bake for 2 and a half hours at 375

Sources:
Beef Stew Recipe- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W9RAHtmBUU
Other information on cooking and rations- https://csphistorical.com/2016/01/24/salt-pork-ships-biscuit-and-burgoo-sea-provisions-for-common-sailors-and-pirates-part-1/
Description of Rations on Providence– Valor Fore and Aft by Hope Rider
Poor man’s rice pudding- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvbZ1_h9HW8&list=PL4e4wpjna1vw9mVxbg79YjskGkEuAfl5f&index=2