Survival Food of the Past

Have you ever wondered what people during medieval times ate when they were on long journeys? or how hunter-gatherers from the stone age managed to survive the winter?, of course you have, so today I’m going to present some of the most common survival foods our ancestors used on long journeys or to make it through the winter months. Note that most of these foods are still made to this day, but are not as common or as heavily relied on as they were by ancient civilizations.

1) Hardtack – Potentially over 100 years

Any list of historical travel food would not be complete without the mention of hardtack. It was the most common staple food on board long voyaging ships for hundreds of years due to its long-lasting nature combined with how cheap and simple it was to make. In fact, in 1588 the standard ration on board a British navy ship was 1 pound of hardtack and 1 gallon of small beer per day. To make hardtack you simply make a basic dough, nothing more than plain flour and water with a little salt. Form it into a biscuit shape with as little air in the dough as possible, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 180c.

(Holes were often poked into the bread to make sure all the moisture could escape and it could completely dry out)

Hardtack is normally baked 2 or 3 times with the goal being to remove as much water as possible, which is why holes were often poked into the bread to help air and water escape. After the first baking check how firm the piece is and if it’s soft put it back in for another 20 to 30 minutes. When you’re happy that all the moisture has been removed and it’s completely dry, place it in a container away from the air and any moisture, your new hardtack should be good to eat for several months or longer if kept right.

The problem with this type of food is that it is very hard and can’t be eaten “as is”. It would often have to be dipped in water or milk until it was soft enough to chew. There are stories of soldiers during the American civil war who were issued hardtack and had to resort to smashing it up with the butts of their rifles before they could mix it into a soup or stew. There is still a piece of hardtack from 1862 made during the American Civil War in the Minnesota Historical Society’s collection that still hasn’t decomposed, it is still classed as edible but would probably be like trying to eat a piece of wood.

2) Pemmican – Up to 10 Years

This was one of the main trade items for decades between the Native Americans and the settlers they encountered and was also the reason the Indians were able to survive through the winter. It was made by using red meat that was darker than standard cow meat, such as bison, elk, or moose. The meat was then cut into very thin strips and air-dried until it was hard enough to grind into a powder. This powdered meat was then mixed with rendered fat from the animal in a 50/50 ratio and then formed into bars and placed in an air-tight container.

(freshly made pemmican bars. They may not look great but contain a large amount of protein and fat, which was always a premium during the winter months.)

If it’s kept cool and out of the sun it can last for years, especially in colder climates. The only thing to watch with this one though is that once it’s opened and the air can get to the inside it tends to spoil quite quickly. When the native Americans would catch a bison, they would often make the entire animal into pemmican and sow the final product tightly inside the skin of the animal it was made from.

3) Potted Meat – up to 6 months

This one is similar to Pemmican but just in a jar and with less fat. The meat is pre-cooked instead of dried and ground down into a paste or at the very least tiny shreds. It is then mixed with a smaller amount of fat and pressed into a jar or other small container, with the maker taking care to press out all the air pockets within the meat.

(Potted meat was normally made from pork due to its naturally high salt content that helped preserve it for longer than other meats, but any kind of meat could be used)

A small amount of fat or butter is then melted and poured over the top to create a seal from the air. This one was normally made in smaller containers because when the seal was broken and the air got to the cooked meat, it would go off quite quickly. Potted meat was popular on ships and as a winter food, normally being used by spreading it on bread or hardtack.

4) Salted Meat – up to 6 Months

Pork was the most common salted meat by far, with fish coming in at second place. Pork works best with the salting technique due to the naturally high salt content within the meat itself, and was made in 2 different ways. The first is directly salting the meat in layers. A pot was taken and a layer of salt was poured to cover the bottom, then a thin layer of pork was added, normally only 1 to 2cm in thickness, then another layer of salt was added over the top, and so on. After the pot was full it would either be pressed down to remove the air and more salt added to make the gap up between the top and the lid, or a heavy salt water solution would be made and poured in to fill the gaps.

(The trick with salting meat in a container was to make sure all of the air was squashed out of the meat, otherwise it would drastically reduce its shelf life.)

The second method was soaking the pork in brine, or in the past alternatives were used such as vinegar. A salt water with as much salt in as possible was made, and then the meat was added and soaked for up to several weeks. This method was normally used with larger cuts of meat as it could be made in barrels and entire legs could be cured, so long as the saltwater could reach all areas of the meat through the cuts made into it. The main thing to remember with meat preserved in this manner is that you cannot just eat it directly or it’ll make you sick because of the high salt content. The meat would have to be soaked in several changes of fresh water before it could be cooked and eaten.

 5) Stockfish

This method of preserving meat was more popular in cold countries because it was air-dried and would just rot straight away in hotter climates. A fish would be caught and gutted before being hung on a rack and air-dried for at least several weeks until all moisture had been removed from the fish.

(Several pieces of stockfish hanging up to dry. It doesn’t taste anywhere near as bad as you’d think after it’s rehydrated.)

It would have to be soaked before it could be eaten but retained most of its flavor and wasn’t nearly as bad tasting as it looked. This was a popular food around Scandinavia and was often used by the Vikings as a method of preserving food for the winter, and to be used on long voyages.

6) Acorns

Acorns contain a large amount of tannin, which is a type of natural oil produced by plants to protect them from insects and the elements. If you eat acorns without processing them, you will feel nauseous and develop a huge headache, so the tannins first have to be removed. To do this, the acorns need to be crushed and then soaked in water to wash out the tannins, with a popular method being to place the crushed acorns into a sack and leave them in a stream or river for about a day.

(Acorns taste halfway between grain and nuts, and make a surprisingly tasty biscuit.)

They would then be taken out and dried before having all the hard outer shells removed. At this point, they are similar to grain and can be made into anything you would use grain for. Acorns were used as a food source before grain was farmed and was probably a favorite choice for our ancestors.