The Sailor’s Diet: What Did Sir Francis Drake & His Crew Eat?

During the days of Sir Francis Drake and the glorious Age of Exploration sailors didn’t have access to a very healthy diet. Historians have concluded that sailors consumed approximately 3,000 calories a day, in the best of circumstances. Their diets were often severely lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables. Many sailors suffered from scurvy due to lack of vitamin C.

So what did the crew consume while at sea for months at a time? The standard fare for most ships during this time was as follows:

1. Hardtack

Hardtack comes in many forms. It’s basically a very hard cracker or biscuit made from flour, water, and salt. It’s appeal? Hardtack is inexpensive and has enough sustenance to it to keep a sailor somewhat nourished. Unfortunately, it’s also easily infested by bugs and weevils. (Extra protein, perhaps?)

2. Salted Meat

Various meats such as beef or pork were salted and cured for the journey. Inevitably though, it would run out before the journey’s end. When it ran out or was in short supply, sailors would often eat animal fat mixed with flour or hardtack.

3. Ale or Wine

Access to fresh, clean water was also in short supply, so sailors would drink fermented beverages such as ale or wine. This was probably not the best choice either, as it led to dehydration on an already unhealthy diet.

4. Dried Beans or Peas

Some ships would take along rations of dried beans, peas or perhaps rice. Carrying these types of foods on the journey wasn’t the problem – cooking them could be. While at sea, there was limited access to a fire for cooking.

5. Special Foods

When sailors embarked on their journey, they would take along other items like fruits, nuts, cheese, and eggs at the start, no doubt. However these items would spoil quickly, so they would be eaten only at the beginning of the trip. When sailors would make stops on land, they may have been able to restock their special “fresh” foods or have access to local foods. This would all depend on their location.

6. Seafood

Believe it or not, seafood was in short supply on the ship! Unless it was salted and cured before the journey, it would spoil too quickly, and often sailors did not have access to a fire to cook it. I’m sure sailors enjoyed some fish and other seafood when given the opportunity to catch and cook it.

Try These Activities:

1. Pretend you are a sailor for a day. Could you survive on this diet? Why or why not? Write a diary entry or letter home and tell your family about the food on your ship.

2. Draw or design a menu for Sir Francis Drake’s ships.

3. Try making your own hardtack.

4. Research scurvy. How can you prevent it?