I read about how food was carried
I read about how food was carried on sea voyages that lasted for months during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Wooden barrels were essentially the plastic bottles of those days. They were used to carry gunpowder, water, and food.
At the bottom of a wooden barrel, they would place a large amount of salt. Then they would rub plenty of salt over about 440 grams of fresh pork and place it inside the barrel. On top of that, they would continue stacking layers of raw salted pork pieces.
Finally, the barrel would be sealed airtight, and through a small hole they would pour in heavily salted water until the barrel contained no air at all. Once stored in the ship’s storage room, the meat could last for months.
Along with this, large quantities of baked wheat biscuits were supplied, as well as peas. When the sailors wanted to eat on the ship, they would first open a barrel and take out the salted pork. They would tie it in muslin cloth and lower it into the sea with a rope to wash away the excess salt. After the salt was removed, they would cook it in water with peas to make soup.
Salted pork and pea soup with biscuits — every single day. It was by eating this kind of food that European sailors traveled around and conquered much of the world during the Age of Discovery.
However, since this diet lacked Vitamin C, many sailors developed Scurvy, and thousands died during long sea voyages. But the Tamils, it is said, had discovered a thousand years earlier that citron and lemon pickles could prevent scurvy.
In particular, it is claimed that ships of the Chola Empire that traveled to Southeast Asian countries carried “vegetable jars.” The lemon and citron pickles stored in them were believed to prevent seasickness and scurvy. Inscriptions are also said to contain indirect references to “rice mixed with citron” or pickles as travel food.
The Sirupanarruppadai mentions flattened rice and lentils as food for travelers. Pattinappālai and Maduraikkanchidescribe the foods eaten by sailors in port cities such as Puhar (Poompuhar). They also confirm the use of dried fish and salted meat in coastal regions.
Tamarind was widely used on ships to preserve food. This was comparable to the Europeans’ vinegar-based preservation method, but more flavorful.
Europeans only discovered in the 18th century that drinking lemon juice could cure scurvy. By then, they had already conquered India. Yet, because they failed to properly learn the science of the land they ruled, deaths from scurvy continued.
Neander Selvan
Translation by Hari
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