Explorers throughout history have had to rely on their own ingenuity to survive and thrive in harsh and unknown environments. This includes the food they carried with them on expeditions. In this article, we will explore the types of foods that explorers in the early 20th Century used to take on their expeditions, using Scott of the Antarctic as an ideal example.
Robert Scott was a British explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic, the first in 1901 and the second in 1910. On both expeditions, Scott and his team had to take all the food they needed with them. Obviously there were no grocery stores in the middle of the Antarctic, so Scott and his team had to be self-sufficient and take all the key survival food and equipment with them.
One of the primary foods that Scott and his team took with them on their expeditions was pemmican. Pemmican is a high-energy food made from dried and powdered meat mixed with melted fat, and sometimes dried fruit or nuts. It was a staple food for explorers, trappers, and hunters in the 19th and early 20th centuries because of its high calorie content and long shelf life. Pemmican was easy to transport and could be eaten on the go, making it perfect for long expeditions.
Another food that Scott and his team took with them was biscuit – a type of hardtack or ship’s biscuit that was commonly used by sailors and explorers at the time. It was made from flour, water, and salt and was baked until it was hard and dry. Biscuit was easy to store and transport, and it had a long shelf life. It was also an excellent source of carbohydrates, which provided energy for the explorers.
Salted meat was another staple food for explorers like Scott. Meat was an essential source of protein and fat, and salted meat could be stored for long periods without refrigeration. Scott and his team would have taken salted beef and pork with them on their expeditions, along with other preserved meats like bacon.
In addition to these staples, Scott and his team would have taken a variety of other foods with them, including canned fruits and vegetables, condensed milk, and chocolate. They also took tea, sugar, and various types of alcohol, which were important for morale and provided a welcome treat after a long day of trudging through the snow and ice.
In conclusion, the food that explorers like Robert Scott took with them on their expeditions was typically high in calories, easy to transport and store, and had a long shelf life. Pemmican, biscuit, and salted meat were staple foods, and they were complemented by other preserved foods like canned fruits and vegetables, condensed milk, and chocolate. These foods allowed explorers to survive and thrive in the harshest environments, and their legacy lives on in modern-day adventure foods.