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What the Whalers Ate

Cooks aboard the whalers served the men strong vittles. Keeping in mind that the whaling ships were often at sea for “a couple years”, the main items on the whaleship menu were:

Lobscouse: This was a stew, made of soaked hardtack and pork fat, boiled with molasses and water. If there was no pork fat, the cook used the greasy scum, or “slush,” from the top of the pot.

Potato scouse: The same thing, with potatoes instead of hardtack.

Dandy funk: A sort of pudding, baked in the oven, and made of powdered hardtack, molasses, and water.

Salt horse: This was boiled salted beef. It was served twice weekly, as was boiled salt pork.

Hardtack (also called hard tack) is a simple type of cracker or biscuit, made from flour, water, and salt. Cheap and long-lasting, it was used during long sea voyages and as military rations. - source

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