Construction of a galley on sailing ships. Marine Dictionary. Manufacturers of galley mechanisms in Russia

Instead of calling the place where food is prepared the kitchen, sailors always called it the galley. The location of this galley depended on the size of the ship and the cargo it was intended to carry.

It was a small fishing smack (a single-masted vessel used as a fishing, coastal or military messenger vessel - approx. translator) and it had been undergoing repairs over the winter on the muddy, reedy banks of the Haarlem River in New York City when I chanced upon it while traveling. Its carrying capacity was only sixty tons, and the cargo, consisting of oysters, was located on the deck. In a small square pilothouse at the stern, standing so close to the stern that the tiller was an inch or so from the companionway, was the galley. The skipper, sitting on a stool, could steer, holding the tiller in one hand, and with the other hand resting on the aft side of this wheelhouse, and he could lower his feet into the gangway passage if he wanted to warm his shins. Below deck there was a bunk on each side, and at the forward end of this small room there was a small cooking stove and a couple of drawers converted into cupboards. The chimney went up through an iron ring in the cabin roof, and the chimney was turned to the leeward side. The crew of such a vessel included one, or maximum two, people.

And on many larger coasters the galley layout was the same. So, for example, on river schooners the deck was occupied by cargo and the entire crew and cook slept together at the stern. So it was in some small ships from Maine, in which the captain, cook and sailor were all one family, being related.

Fishing boats and Grand River boats had four to six berths in the stern, with a stove mounted on the floor in the center to heat them. The chimney of this stove went up through the middle of the cabin roof and had a dome-shaped iron visor that directed the resulting sparks to the leeward side so as not to burn the mainsail. And food was cooked on a stove located below, standing slightly behind the foremast. The exit from the galley was located in front of a long forecastle, in which ten or twelve benches were located along the walls so that food could be easily passed to the crew. The wardroom was located at the stern. The chimney with a lid on top went through an iron apron installed in the deck next to the vestibule, through which they entered the galley below.

All this was made strong, as these ships were flooded up and down with green water when they sailed to sell their fish at market or when the ship rose on and off the wave, safely surviving the storm that drives the waves of the Atlantic sea into these flat shores. On these waves the ship galloped like a bucking bronco.

What a contrast compared to the West Indies, the Spanish mainland (America in the Caribbean - approx. translator) old times! Here floated squat little ships, tramps from among the ships. From time to time we came across a Chesapeake schooner (a city in the central part of Virginia, on the Elizabeth River and the Intracoastal Canal - approx. translator), which was as beautiful and neat as a pilot boat, and whose long tapering masts would put the thin curved masts of native ships to shame. Here, in waist-high boxes filled with sand and standing slightly behind the foremast, the blacks cooked their fish over a fire and heated their oil cans full of native liquor.

Before deck superstructures became fashionable, when ships were still relatively small, the galley was always located at the bottom of the ship, below deck. For a long time, a stone hearth with a brick chimney was made below. Then square pipes made of thin sheet iron appeared, and then they became round, emerging slightly behind the foremast from the galley fireplace that stood below. This was how ships such as the old warship Constitution and the frigates of 1776 were equipped.

According to surviving records in 1757, a certain Gabriel Snodgrass, inspecting the British East India Company, in an audience with the Lords of the Admiralty, explained that the ships of the East India Company moved their galleys from the center of the hold to the bow of the ship. And Sir Walter Raleigh (English courtier, statesman, adventurer, poet and writer, historian, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. He became famous for his privateering attacks on the Spanish fleet, for which he received (like Francis Drake) a knighthood in 1585 - approx. translator) as early as 1587 objected to a galley in the center of a ship's hold.

There is no doubt that the rocking of the ship below was felt less, but the smoke and smell spread throughout the ship, and in bad weather, when the hatches had to be nailed shut to prevent water from pouring in, working in the galley amid the smell of churned rancid bilge water, smoke in a closed the space and steam of the cooking food was clearly not a gift.

The galley immediately aft of the foremast, the chimney running through the deck above, and the wide grating on the ceiling to release heat, made cooking on the Indians unusually easier than in the old warships, which still had the same arrangement for many years. galley in the hold.

Ship sizes began to increase after 1800. Of course, there were several large ships before, but now we are talking about ordinary examples of merchant ships. Where previously the deck was empty, poop and forecastle decks appeared. The appearance of the bow deck freed the sailors from their rat's nests in the damp forepeak. The ship's "cook", as the ship's cook was called, also had a bright and ventilated room in the aft part of this wheelhouse, in which corned beef was cooked, stew was fried, pea soup was brewed and coffee, which, as the sailors liked to say, the cook brewed from old ground sea rubber boots.

On the three-masted schooner J. Percy Bartram" just behind the foremast there was a small square wheelhouse, in which the galley occupied the right side, and the cockpit occupied the left side aft. A narrow carpenter's shop was located across the bow with doors opening on each side. In both the forecastle and galley the door opened to the stern, and the partition between them had a sliding panel so that food could be passed from the galley to the forecastle without having to go outside. The "stove" chimney ran up through the roof and had a sharp bend at the top, made from a piece of pipe, which the cook had to turn every time we changed tack. The outer end of this pipe rested on an iron fork-shaped support, standing on the leeward side under the foresail boom, and was located about a foot above the roof of the cabin.

Small coasting vessels such as schooners, brigs and brigantines had a small square galley box in which food was prepared. When they were preparing for sailing, this small box was lifted, placed on the main hatch and lashed to the eyelets on the deck, and when unloaded in the port it was placed on the deck on the bow to one of the sides.

Quite often in restaurants or cafes you can find dishes supposedly from the ship’s menu.

Well, there’s Red Navy cabbage soup or Sailor’s borscht and other things like that.

However, almost all of these dishes are completely different from what was on the menu of real sailors for many years.

The cook on a ship is not an ordinary person.

Sailor food, of course, did not consist of pure delicacies, but it was nutritious and often quite tasty. Considering that in the days of the sailing fleet there were serious problems with preserving food for a long time, these were dishes prepared mainly from corned beef and salted fish, which could be stored in barrels for several months, and vegetables such as cabbage, potatoes, carrots, beets and onions, butter and some fruits.

Bread is also not a shelf-stable product, so the ships had stocks of crackers, and later pasta. A method of preserving meat and fish was invented especially for seafood cuisine. But from this rather limited assortment of products, the ship's cooks in the galley prepared several types of dishes that were almost the same on ships sailing under the flags of different countries.

Here is a small menu of naval cuisine that was common on Russian ships for a long time.
The first dish is cabbage soup or borscht. Meat, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions. Cabbage soup is prepared very simply. The meat is poured with water and cooked until almost done, then potatoes and salted cabbage are added. Carrots and onions are fried in cottonseed, sunflower or olive oil and added before the end of cooking.

If you add beets to this, it will be borscht. It is also better to fry beets along with onions and carrots. Add spices, pepper and bay leaves. It is very tasty to eat with mustard or sour cream. You can decorate with finely chopped herbs.

The second dish that has been on the menu of sailors for a long time is naval pasta. Pasta is cooked separately in salted water. After cooking, rinse. The onion is fried in vegetable oil, boiled meat minced in a meat grinder is added to it, you can also use canned food. Spices are added and this minced meat fried with onions is mixed with pasta.

What did the sailors drink?

Well, in modern times it’s compote or jelly. It is curious that sailors were the first to become addicted to such drinks as tea, coffee and cocoa.

But several centuries ago, sailors had their own special drinks. Remember from the books about the famous Flint: Yo-ho-ho and a barrel of rum. Exactly. This very rum was the favorite drink of sailors in those distant times. Even in the contract that the sailor signed when chartering a ship, it was written that the sailor was entitled to a portion of rum every day.

But in the middle of the 18th century, the English admiral Nelson Vernon violated this order. He ordered the rum to be diluted with water. Of course it was not so tasty and they began to add lemon and sugar to this swill. And if you warmed it up, it tasted better and had a much stronger effect. But the sailors were still dissatisfied with the admiral and called him Old Grog for his constant habit of walking on deck in a waterproof raincoat, called “grogrem”. Over time, Nelson Vernon's nickname was shortened to one word, Grog, and later it became the name of the drink. This is how GROG was born.

Sharp-tongued sailors named the grog fortress according to the cardinal directions. Nord meant pure rum, and West meant pure water. So the north-west strength grog was rum half diluted with water. And the north-west north contained 2 parts rum and one part water. West-north-west is two parts water and only one part rum...

The tradition of including alcohol in the diet of sailors has survived to some extent to this day. Well, there’s no need to remind you about the front-line hundred grams. But the submarine fleet still has dry wine on the menu. As medicine says, this is a very healthy drink, of course, if consumed in moderation. Wine relieves fatigue, overwork, it tones and promotes good digestion. In addition, it also has bactericidal properties. Mulled wine is very popular among the navy - it is red table wine with sugar and spices, cloves and cinnamon.

They drink it hot, slowly, in small sips, sometimes with strong hot tea. An excellent remedy for colds. Bon appetit)))

- (Gol. kambuis). Kitchen or cast iron stove on a ship. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. GALLEY. kambuis. Kitchen or iron stove on a ship. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words included in... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Galley, cooking range, caboose, cook room) a cast iron stove for cooking food for the ship’s personnel, placed on sailing ships in the bow (on ships and frigates on the opera deck, on small ships on the lower deck, and on merchant ships on… ... Marine Dictionary

GALLEY, husband's galley. kitchen on a ship, iron stove, with boilers, etc. Galley, related to the galley Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dal. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

galley- a, m. cambuse f. tavern; galley naked combuis. 1. Ship's kitchen. BAS 1. Cambuis. Regulations for skippers and others arriving on merchant ships at the ports of the Russian state. 1724. ES. 2. The ship has a cast iron or iron stove with a boiler. BAS... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

galley- and an outdated galley... Dictionary of difficulties of pronunciation and stress in modern Russian language

- (from Dutch kombuis) ship's kitchen... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

GALLEY, galley, husband. (Dutch kombuis) (mor.). Kitchen or cast iron stove with boiler on a boat. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

GALLEY, huh, husband. (specialist.). Kitchen on the ship. | adj. galley, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 Germanism (176) cuisine (18) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

A; m. [Gol. kombuis] Kitchen on a ship. ◁ Galley, oh, oh. K furnaces. What a pipe. * * * galley (from Dutch kombuis), ship's kitchen. * * * GALLEY GALLEY (from Dutch kombuis), ship's kitchen... encyclopedic Dictionary

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The kitchen on a ship (galley) is a special place. The result of the voyage depends on its arrangement and the professionalism of the cook. Energy-intensive appliances are installed in a small room. The ship's kitchen provides modern technical solutions: the ability to bake bread and pastries, make coffee, offer dietary dishes on the menu, and feed the crew and passengers of the ship with food made from fresh ingredients.

The life support system of any ship cannot do without a galley. The occupied space and equipment of the galley room depend on the functions, tasks assigned to the craft and its type. It is impossible to do without an equipped ship's kitchen.

Three main titles

The range of galley equipment is approved by the requirements of SanPin 2.5.2-703-98. Mechanization of the kitchen for ships requires the presence of three components that are required when completing the galley. Let's talk about them below.

Plate

The kitchen on the ship is equipped with devices, the design of which, for example, kitchen stoves, differs little from ordinary ones. Important aspects of such a slab are:

• Compactness – every centimeter of space on the vessel is calculated;
• Durability - the unit must withstand long operating cycles with maximum load;
• Anti-tip devices (holders) – during rolling, the dishes do not move off the heating surface and do not fall from the stove;
• Heating adjustment;
• Cooking at least three dishes at once in sufficient quantities for the ship’s crew;
• Baking bread in a stove oven;
• Thermal insulation of external side surfaces (up to 45ºС).

Of course, the stove in the galley of a trawler will be very different from the setup in a restaurant kitchen on a cruise ship. But the general features given above will still remain. Galley stoves are installed on ships of various types and are used for preparing nutritious meals.

Electric stoves in the galley must operate in harsh tropical conditions (+ 45ºС) and at low temperatures (– 10ºС). The humidity level should be maintained at 75%. The maximum possible (98%) will lead to a decrease in the upper limit of positive temperatures (35ºС).

For small-sized stove models, control system elements (packet switches) are built into the housing. Such stoves are powered by a simple plug. The remaining samples are controlled by equipment installed on separate switchboards. The devices are connected to the ship's electrical network using terminal blocks (located on the outer casing).

Boiler (tank for heating water)

A kitchen on a ship, like any other, cannot do without hot water. Boiling water is a universal product. It is used to prepare dishes, process food before slicing and storing, wash dishes, and use it as a drink (for brewing).

The special qualities of ship boilers correlate with the parameters of galley electric stoves. But first of all, you need to pay attention to the performance of the tank. The device must produce the required amount of hot water within a certain time. The volume of boiling water produced is calculated individually for each ship.

A boiler is a container with heaters inside. The cladding applied on the outside prevents contact with a hot surface. The tank is installed vertically and fixed. Extremely useful in galleys with small spaces. Quickly heats water and maintains its temperature.

Makes tank maintenance easier:

• The presence of an additional tap for draining water;
• Semi-automatic control system;
• Protection against accidental switching on of the tank without water.

A valuable parameter of the boiler is the anti-corrosion coating. The difference in the hardness of fresh water coming on board from different sources has a negative impact on the tank design. A high-quality coating will provide the boiler with a long service life.

Fridge

Preserving food during a voyage is the main task of a galley refrigeration unit. An ordinary household refrigerator can cope with this role. However, in most cases, household-grade refrigeration units are not used on ships.

A kitchen on a ship requires the installation of a refrigerator with a reliable fixation (fastening system) so that its body does not move due to vibrations of the ship. It is recommended to install locking devices on freezer doors to prevent accidental opening.

The required working volume of the refrigeration unit is determined according to the number of crew/passengers and the type of ship (cargo/passenger). Specialized ship refrigeration devices with various types of freezing have been developed: water and air.

Plus two units

The development of technology has made it possible to provide kitchens for ships with the latest multifunctional equipment. Two types of equipment are most widespread.

Microwave oven

Microwaves can be found in almost every kitchen. They also found their niche in galleys. On ships there are professional-level microwave ovens and general-use models. This is due to the fact that microwave ovens are not included in the mandatory equipment range, but the kitchen on the ship can be equipped with similar devices as needed.

The owner of the vessel/captain himself decides on the presence of such a device in the galley. This fact does not have much impact on the popularity of using microwaves in the fleet. There are no special galley characteristics for a microwave oven. The main thing is that there is a place for it.

Combi oven

The range of functions of the device is extremely wide. Thanks to the combi oven you can:

• Thermally process food: dry and wet methods;
• Prepare a full set of dishes in the “second” category;
• Bake the meat;
• Take up baking (bread, pastries).

A ship's kitchen with a combi oven has a number of advantages:

• The cook spends less time cooking;
• Inclusion of dietary dishes in the menu;
• Possibility to significantly expand the diet;
• Prepare more complex dishes.

All equipment in the galley is necessarily certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and the Russian River Register.

Manufacturers of galley mechanisms in Russia

Not a single manufacturer deals with the marine theme of kitchen equipment in its pure form. There are very few domestic suppliers of galley equipment. Among them, three enterprises can be distinguished:

1. Concern "Termal" (Nizhny Novgorod) is a supplier of a large number of various accessories and devices for galleys. Moreover, the company independently develops equipment samples, giving preference to domestic components. More than 15 units of equipment are in the design and modernization stage. The company has established a dealer network in the CIS countries and is actively developing cooperation with foreign countries.
2. OJSC Chuvashtorgtekhnika serially produces two modifications of combi steamers in a marine version. Russian models are much cheaper than imported ones (3-4 times). The company can also manufacture other devices.
3. Planeta LLC (St. Petersburg) has been supplying a wide range of galley electrical equipment for 20 years. All information about the company's products is posted on its website.

A kitchen on a ship needs high-quality equipment that is easy to use and ergonomic.

Prepare pastries and coffee

Galley mechanisms of the bakery and confectionery type differ from land-based equipment: they are small-sized and highly reliable. Professional kitchen equipment for ships perfectly solves the problem of individual preparation of pizza, confectionery, pastries, and bread.

Suppliers offer a wide selection of ovens of various sizes and modifications. The working cycle of such ovens allows you to bake several different products at once, or a large batch of one item. An automated self-cleaning system (not installed on all models) will make working with the stove as convenient as possible.

Coffee making machines are not in short supply. The problem of the high price of coffee equipment is solved by purchasing equipment that has already been used, but has not lost its working qualities.

Auxiliary equipment

There is a wide class of devices with electric traction or manual drive. The most complete set of such equipment is available on large ships (liners, ferries), where restaurant-level service is required and a large number of people need to be fed. Such a kitchen on a ship can be equipped with devices for kneading dough, meat grinders, slicers (cutting devices), and potato peeling machines.

The list of units is quite long. What specific devices will be mounted in the galley depends on the ship's designers. The ship owner retains the right to modernize the galley space and equipment.

Galley furniture

The specificity of galley furniture is operation under conditions of prolonged exposure to an aggressive environment. Galley utensils are constantly exposed to: moisture, particles of detergents, brine and spices. Mechanical loads are experienced by the working surfaces of cutting tables. Therefore, furniture for a ship's kitchen is designed with a careful selection of durable materials that can withstand an aggressive environment and not suffer mechanical damage.

The production of non-mechanical galley equipment has been mastered at many factories in Russia. Today, domestic manufacturers successfully compete with foreign companies. The quality of specialized galley furniture supplied to ships is no worse than imported samples. The price of Russian products is lower. Both military and civilian shipbuilders prefer to work with galley furniture suppliers within the Russian Federation.

Russian manufacturers have developed many marine furniture products, including galley furniture:

• Preparatory galley tables;
• Bread cutting tables and tubs;
• Sinks of various options with different numbers of sinks (1-3);
• Cabinets for storing food, dishes, chest cabinets;
• Shelves (for storing plates, cutting boards, and other galley utensils);
• Box containing salt;
• A board to record the layout of products.

The design features of furniture for a ship's kitchen take into account the volume of the galley space, the number of crew, the mode of autonomy, and the provision of rations. These factors influence the choice of ready-made equipment samples or individual sketches are developed. Various options for the layout of the kitchen for the ship are taken into account.

Wash dishes and clean the air

The dishwasher and hood are devices not intended for storing and preparing food. But it’s hard to imagine a modern equipped kitchen without them. The first saves time for galley workers (they are not distracted by washing dishes). The second makes it possible to cook in comfortable conditions, eliminating unpleasant odors and microparticles of food ingredients.

Ship modifications of instruments are created according to the same principles as other galley equipment. The main requirements are compactness, long service life, immunity to negative environments.

Package example

Yachts - small small vessels have their own classification. The number of crew members can reach two dozen people. Accordingly, the area allocated for the galley is completely small. But even in such a small space there are about 7-10 devices. The quantity and functionality of equipment, on the one hand, is determined by the required minimum set of equipment, and on the other hand, by the wishes of the crew members and the capabilities of the vessel owner.

The class of yachts was created for sea travel. The set of instruments necessary to create comfort on board during long voyages and stops far from land may look like this (the equipment of the galley of the yacht “Nikolaev” is shown):

• Oven;
• Dishwasher;
• Fridge;
• Glass panel for heating food;
• Ice maker;
• Coffee machine;
• Freezer.

The ship as a home

The reasons for using a ship as a home and not as a watercraft can be different: economic, political, romantic. Such a home needs to be furnished seriously. The kitchen for the boat house is purchased at a regular furniture showroom.

Unlike the galley of a ship plying the waters, the kitchen of a house-ship does not require strict characteristics from equipment and furniture. It is not necessary to install purely marine versions of devices.

Professional equipment can be replaced with ordinary household equipment. There is a reason to use the services of a designer. The ship's small kitchen can accommodate a refrigerator, oven and sink. You can organize enough space to store dishes. Use the countertop as a cooking area, and connect a kitchen table if necessary.

A pull-out basket can fit into the design. The space under the oven is functional: utensils used for baking are placed there. The interior of the kitchen is configured taking into account the wishes of the customer. Most equipment can be covered with colorful facades. The choice of color scheme will remain with the client – ​​the owner of the house-ship.

Yes, I want to talk about the galley, because it is a more significant thing than its land-based counterparts. In reality, even the ancient Romans or Greeks, who traveled around their flat world, would have agreed with me in terms of the fact that everything is simpler on land. And with a trireme or any other vessel, where can you get away with it?

Meanwhile, the kitchen, that is, the galley on a ship, is not an old thing. People have been sailing the seas for hundreds of years, but they began to cook food on them relatively recently. The same ancient Greeks and Romans, who traveled along the coasts, always landed on the shores at night and lit a fire there and prepared food for themselves.

And the galley itself appeared much later. And he immediately gained eerie fame. Consider the names “Purgatory”, “Chamber of Panic”, “Reign of Depravity”.

It is known for certain that there were no galleys on Columbus’s ships. Some 400 years ago. The daily distribution of food was carried out by the provisions master, also called the pickler, and the battalion, in charge of barrels of water, wine and brandy.

What did the sailors eat? Depending on the state of the shipowner's pocket.

Crackers. This was the basis. It is clear that wooden sailing ships were not equipped with ovens for baking bread, and if they were, how much coal and firewood would they have to carry with them? So yes, sea biscuits.

Huge chunks, so hard that they could hardly be broken with a hammer. Depending on the flour used to make them, crackers differed in appearance and taste. The English ones were light in color because they were baked with wheat and corn.

The Swedish “knekbrod”, “crispy bread”, was called “touchstone” for its hardness and configuration, since it had the shape of a donut. German "knallers" ("crackers") were baked from rye and were a favorite type of cracker among sailors.

In addition, there were also special double-hardened crackers. For the longest journeys. They were also called biscuits, which in French means “twice baked.”

But even crackers dried to the limit, to the point of ringing, quickly became moldy in sea-ocean conditions under the influence of constant dampness. Or hello worms and other protozoa. And this despite the fact that already in the 18th century, crackers began to be sealed in jars.

In such cases, the worm-ridden crackers were simply slightly soaked in sea water and baked again in a regular oven. Well, it would be the same crackers, but with meat seasoning in the form of baked worms. Bon appetit, so to speak.

In general, the ship's dry ration consisted of the simplest things that did not require special storage conditions. Dried or salted meat, salted lard, crackers, hard cheese, vegetable oil, alcohol, dried vegetables, vinegar.

By the way, vinegar was not a seasoning, but a disinfectant. The seasoning was wine until it soured and turned into vinegar, and a little later (after 300 years) - rum or aquavit.

By the way, I can add this recipe to go with rum. British. The dessert was called “dog cake.” Was very popular in the fleet of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

Rusks, or rather, their remains, were ground into fine crumbs, then lard and sugar were added to the crumbs, ground in a mortar (for example, for tobacco) and all this was diluted with water. The result was a fatty-sweet paste, which was given the rather outlandish name “dog cake.”

There is an opinion that sea pudding originated precisely from “dog cake”, because well, there is something in common in the recipes.

A pudding was prepared from flour, sugar, raisins and melted lard mixed with water. This dough was then placed in a canvas bag. The bag was tied, an identification tag was attached to it and, along with the pudding bags of the other tanks, it was lowered into the large galley pot. But this appeared when boilers for cooking were firmly assigned to ships.

Well, in general, about 400 years ago, food was rarely cooked on a ship, and edible food was even less common. The first invention for the galley was an open hearth with a brick hearth covered with sand. Usually one cauldron was hung, in which food was prepared.

The most common recipe was half porridge, half stew (depending on the amount of water that could be spent on the dish) of their cereals and corned beef.

It could be varied. Peas, lentils, pearl barley, beans, rice, millet - depending on the region. And corned beef. It could be added if olive or other oil was available.

On ships of old times there was such a position - a tankman. This is an unfortunate man in his own way, whose duties included receiving food for a certain number of sailors and, most importantly, a portion of meat.

The battalion personally distributed rum to each sailor. As they say, rum is sacred.

But the cook did not enjoy authority in maritime folklore. On the contrary, the nicknames that were awarded to him were usually more than offensive.

But here you just need to figure out why the cook was a condemned figure. It’s probably worth noting, for the sake of fairness, that the ships of that time were not huge in size and were really limited in carrying capacity.

What was the galley like in conditions of constant shortage of fresh water?

A dirty, smelly room with a brick slab in the middle. The rest of the area contained kitchen tables, logs for chopping wood and cutting meat, barrels and tanks, boilers, shelves with pots, woodpiles of firewood, bags and supplies of provisions.

And in the midst of all this hell, the cook reigned. More precisely, I tried to cook something like that. It is clear that in the vast majority of cases, only one dish was prepared for the team. And not the best quality.

The lack of water gave rise to unsanitary conditions. The lack of normal storage conditions gave rise to crowds of rats. And so on.

The cook on a sailing ship was an odious figure. Disrespected, cursed, the cooks were often drowned (mostly out of stupidity), but this did not improve the situation. It is clear that a chef from a restaurant will not serve as a cook on a sailboat.

Nevertheless, something was prepared. I will give a few recipes in addition to the “dog cake” and peas with corned beef.

By the way, on the second day after peas and corned beef, corned beef and peas could have been served. Marine humor, yes. And at the same time the reality of life.

Russian ship cabbage soup.

We take the boiler. We have only one, so we do everything in it. To begin, pour lard, sauerkraut, onions, carrots and parsley root into a cauldron and fry it all.

We chop the fish (it doesn’t matter what kind, whatever we were able to catch) into pieces and also lightly fry it in this beauty.

Then add water and bring to a boil. Add vegetable oil, salt, pepper and basically call the tanks. The cabbage soup is ready.

Fine? Well, those who know will say - you can eat. I agree. What about potage? Okay, we'll leave it for dessert.

Soup.

We take a cauldron, throw lard or butter and onions into it. Lots of onions. There is garlic - a lot of garlic. It’s useful, and you’ll need to get rid of the smell. Fry. Until golden brown.

Then add water and throw in pieces of corned beef. Without cleaning or soaking, because water is valuable. And that will do. Cook for an hour and a half.

When the corned beef has boiled down to the point where it can be chewed, we go to the battaler and take a bag. It doesn't matter with what. Peas, lentils, pearl barley. Anything that can be cooked. We fall asleep as is, with worms and larvae, there is no need to waste protein. Let's cook!

Then comes the hard part. You need to take pepper and laurel from the reserves and add just enough to fight off the smell. All is good. The food is ready.

It is clear that with such a “menu” the arrival of scurvy is a matter of time. And then food goes into battle, which could easily be swallowed by any scurvy sufferer with bleeding gums and loose teeth.

Labskaus.

They say the recipe from the Vikings has yet to come. I don’t believe it, it was easier for these brave guys to kill a sick person, they bothered like that for weeks.

Take a ration of corned beef and boil it. This is 2-3 hours. Cut the boiled corned beef finely and finely, add also finely chopped salted herring and grind it with a pestle in a mortar. Add some pepper to the resulting mixture (there is already enough salt there), dilute it with water and rum. The first is so that it can be swallowed, the second is so that it doesn’t smell so bad.

True, it is worth noting that Labskaus did not completely solve the issue of getting rid of scurvy. At sea, the corned beef gradually went rotten anyway and smelled like a dead body. Yes, when canned meat came into use under Napoleon, it was not for nothing that they were nicknamed the “dead Frenchman” in the British Navy.

And of course, floorage. The most cursed dish of privateers, pirates and tea clippers. The dish was prepared when food supplies were running low and there was no way to replenish them.

Potage was very easy to prepare. A cauldron of water was taken, into which everything that remained on board was thrown. Rats, worm biscuits, worm meal, scraps, fish tails and so on.

Usually the preparation of the potage was followed by a revolt of the team, but...

The world of sailing ships was somewhat different from the civilized world. And first of all – food.

Hot food on sailing ships was delivered from the galley to the crew's quarters in tanks. Of these, and if, since bowls on a ship are such a luxury. While eating, each sailor took turns throwing a spoon directly into the common tank. Anyone who could not maintain the rhythm and climbed out of turn received a spoon on the fingers or on the forehead.

Overall, everything is so sanitary and hygienic that there are no words.

But it's half an orange! Okay, food quality. What about water quality? It is clear that most often the team received cheap and not entirely good-quality products. Corned beef, beans, cereals, lard... But water, which was mainly collected at best from pothole wells, and at worst from nearby rivers, was not a gift either.

The main thing is that she was missing. And it spoiled quite quickly in the only container at that time - wooden barrels.

Considering that the most common preservative was salt, the question of the edibility of salted meat also did not arise. Simply because it had to be properly soaked in the same fresh water. Which was completely lacking, and which also quickly deteriorated, especially in hot latitudes.

With each month of sailing, the water became thicker and smellier. Later, wooden water tanks were replaced by iron ones. However, water on a ship is still considered valuable: a person can overcome hunger for a week or even more, but must drink a certain minimum of water every day.

In general, cooking on ships of former times was not the most fun or rewarding task. And it’s not even about ships and cooks.

More precisely, mainly in ships. Even more precisely, as I already noted, in their size. If a normal cook who loves people does not have the proper amount of kitchen utensils, then no amount of punishment will force him to work miracles. And the lack of water negates all dreams of “tasty and healthy” food.

I don’t know how the British dealt with their traditional “five-o-clock”, that is, evening tea on ships. It probably wasn't the most delicious drink. Repeating what was for lunch, only in a diluted form.

Plus constant water savings.

On the ships of Vasco da Gama when sailing to India, each sailor was entitled to:

680 grams of crackers;
- 453 grams of corned beef;
- 1 liter of water,
- 40 grams of vinegar,
- 20 grams of olive oil,
- onions, garlic, dried and fresh vegetables.

This is probably why Vasco da Gama came back. Here is an example of another diet. A sailor of the English expedition on the Bounty transport, which ended in a mutiny and the landing of the captain:

3 kilograms 200 grams of biscuits;
- 1 pound of corned beef (450 grams);
- 160 grams of dried fish;
- 900 grams of peas or cereals;
- 220 grams of cheese;
- water, rum.

For comparison, I can cite the rations of a Russian sailor from the time of Catherine II. With “Bounty” at the same time, actually.

For a month, a Russian sailor was entitled to:
- 5.5 kg of beef meat in the form of corned beef or fresh;
- 18 kg of crackers;
- 4 kg of peas;
- 2.5 kg of buckwheat;
- 4 kg of oats;
- 2.5 kg of butter;
- more than 0.5 kg of salt;
- 200 g vinegar;
- 3.4 liters of vodka (28 glasses).

Potage was not cooked on Russian ships...