Culinary Question

[westkent78]

I was wondering what types of food they served on board naval ships at this time.

Hopefully it had progressed somewhat from the days of weevil-infested hard tack and rotten salted beef, but I do remember reading somewhere that they were still opening casks of early victorian meat at the turn of the century.

[DirtyDick]

Food aboard surface ships was dependent upon size and age of the vessel. Some of the modern WW1 battleships etc. had refrigerated areas and so could keep fresh meat etc. onboard for longer periods.

After this had been consumed, tinned and other preserved produce would be used. Hard Tack and corned beef did form a kind of 'reserve' ration when stocks of more palatable food ran low; and in 1914 the Navy still had huge reserves of salted meat, some 70 or more years old, held at victualling yards.

Bread was also made aboard virtually every vessel from destroyer upwards.

Most ships did not stay at sea for very long since they had to refuel quite frequently, and if going to back to base or a coaling station overseas they could replenish their stock with ease, so for most it was hardly a case of tapping weevils out of biscuits through necessity. This was especially true for battleships operating from the UK.

Submarines were a different matter...

Richard