The Unbeatable Ships Biscuit

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  • Опубліковано 25 тра 2024
  • When you think of bread aboard ship, you think of ships biscuits. What if they went away? What would replace them? What would food aboard ship look like then?
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 580

  • @BSGSV
    @BSGSV 25 днів тому +1292

    He smacked two biscuits together twice! Max must be happy.

    • @odinfromcentr2
      @odinfromcentr2 25 днів тому +106

      [clack clack] 😁

    • @fenikso
      @fenikso 25 днів тому +59

      I lol'd, I knew I wouldn't be the only one to catch that.

    • @ZombieLogic101
      @ZombieLogic101 25 днів тому +56

      Everytime someone mentions hardtac in my discord some play the clack clack. XD

    • @wesleyhoward5599
      @wesleyhoward5599 25 днів тому +21

      ​@@odinfromcentr2 I would have heard it anyway.

    • @DrunkenDemon
      @DrunkenDemon 25 днів тому +6

      Spoilers! XD

  • @Lumi-oz6nd
    @Lumi-oz6nd 25 днів тому +637

    Lol the 'Clack Clack'

    • @privacyvalued4134
      @privacyvalued4134 25 днів тому +34

      Shades of Tasting History with Max Miller.

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +31

      It's an official rule now on UA-cam - if you do a video including hardtack, you must perform at least one double-clack.

    • @bholdr----0
      @bholdr----0 25 днів тому +15

      Yeah... Also, He should put it on a tray... Nice!

    • @umamifriends
      @umamifriends 24 дні тому +1

      I want a soundbite of that

    • @heyguysinternet
      @heyguysinternet 24 дні тому +2

      Sad to see bot comments increasingly being the top-rated comments on YT videos.

  • @carlyjanescarbrough9910
    @carlyjanescarbrough9910 24 дні тому +205

    “HE DID THE THING!” - me watching Jon click the biscuits together

  • @madmanmapper
    @madmanmapper 25 днів тому +190

    Jon's smile when he did the clack-clack - he knows exactly what he did! :D

  • @tremorsfan
    @tremorsfan 25 днів тому +262

    11:14 nice tribute to Max Miller.

    • @Blondie42
      @Blondie42 25 днів тому +22

      "Hard tack:" clack clack
      😉

    • @elricthebald870
      @elricthebald870 25 днів тому

      The meme has reached full penetration.

    • @xero110
      @xero110 25 днів тому

      The only reason I use SponsorBlock is because of comments like this. This plug-in allows you to block built in ads. DON'T DO THAT! Use it so you don't post double comments, it highlights other comments so you don't make their mistakes.

  • @jaydoggy9043
    @jaydoggy9043 25 днів тому +304

    11:17 is music to my ears.

    • @CAP198462
      @CAP198462 24 дні тому +2

      Excellent time stamp. Best part of the video.

    • @patriotenfield3276
      @patriotenfield3276 24 дні тому

      you call these things "chips"? Instead of crispity crunchy munchie crackerjack snacker nibbler snap crack n pop westpoolchestershireshire queen's lovely jubily delights?
      That’s rather bit cringe, innit bruv

  • @justanobadi6655
    @justanobadi6655 25 днів тому +184

    "Do you see those two weevils, doctor?"
    "I do, why?"
    "Which one would you choose?"
    "Neither, they are the exact same species of curculio."
    "If you HAD to choose ..."
    "If you are going to push me *puts on glasses* ... I would choose the righthand weevil, for it has significant advantage in both length and width"
    *aubrey smacks table* "THERE, I HAVE YOU! YOU'RE COMPLETELY DISHED ... do you not know that in the service ... one must always choose the LESSER of two weevils?"

    • @colonelkurtz2269
      @colonelkurtz2269 25 днів тому +28

      The movie we needed sequels from but never got. 😢

    • @cloudyblueskye
      @cloudyblueskye 25 днів тому +2

      What movie is it from?

    • @justanobadi6655
      @justanobadi6655 25 днів тому +15

      @@cloudyblueskye Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World

    • @johnparkman8150
      @johnparkman8150 25 днів тому +5

      Master and Commander!! One of my favorite movies!!!

    • @alexfarkas3881
      @alexfarkas3881 24 дні тому +9

      Oh I could kiss you for this comment. This and Max's _clack clack_ live in my brain rent-free and come rushing to the forefront every time someone mentions hardtack 😀

  • @arifhossain9751
    @arifhossain9751 25 днів тому +369

    Gentleman and Ladies.
    It is my honor to bless this video with a
    *_CLACK CLACK_*

    • @dianaarmitage512
      @dianaarmitage512 25 днів тому +26

      Max Miller has entered the room!!!😂😂😂

    • @MoneyChanger02
      @MoneyChanger02 25 днів тому +17

      11:18 i assumed this was a shout out to Max.

    • @CAP198462
      @CAP198462 25 днів тому +3

      I was going to post this, but I was watching a Simon Whistler video when this dropped.

    • @arifhossain9751
      @arifhossain9751 25 днів тому +2

      @@CAP198462
      Which one of his billion channels did you pop in from? I bet it was Casual Criminalist.

    • @CAP198462
      @CAP198462 25 днів тому

      @@arifhossain9751 it was decoding the unknown.

  • @loganrossignol
    @loganrossignol 25 днів тому +47

    Legend has it that whenever you bang two pieces of ships biscuits together, Max Miller's ears ring

  • @Ducaso
    @Ducaso 25 днів тому +15

    The Hardtack clap is the harmony that binds us together.

    • @katherinegraham3803
      @katherinegraham3803 23 дні тому +1

      If loving the clack clack is wrong, I don't wanna be right!

  • @FrikInCasualMode
    @FrikInCasualMode 25 днів тому +218

    Hardtacks are the real MVP of field cooking. To this day Polish Army issues special variant of hardtacks in MRE's. Soldiers call them 'Panzer waffles" and joke that in a pinch they can be used as extra ballistic plates in body armor. Couple of years ago there was a movement to replace hardtacks with lightweight rice crackers, but it was unpopular and hardtacks returned to MRE's.

    • @wanderingcalamity360
      @wanderingcalamity360 25 днів тому +39

      It's also used in Japan as mandatory emergency rations, and in Alaska as emergency rations for bush pilots.
      It's wild how this incredibly old school ration is still going strong.

    • @fricki1997
      @fricki1997 25 днів тому +46

      In Germany they can be called "Panzerplatten" (armour plates) in the army.
      Divided by borders, united by hardtack.

    • @strongback6550
      @strongback6550 25 днів тому +12

      If you prepare them correctly, they function as ceramic armor.

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +14

      @@wanderingcalamity360 Sailor Boy pilot bread is nothing like hardtack. It's harder than your average saltine, but still pretty easy to chew without having to soak it in coffee for an hour. And it's definitely not stopping any bullets.

    • @Dracalis
      @Dracalis 25 днів тому +10

      I was in the Canadian Army; my regiment had its own theme song called "Pork, Beans, and Hard Tack." 🥓🫘🍘

  • @hannahbrown2728
    @hannahbrown2728 25 днів тому +75

    The camaderie between this channel and Max Miller will always delight me. I was half expecting them to cut away to Max with the clack clack, but now we have cuts of both of them clacking hardtack. Great work as always

    • @ezeakiodarmey9448
      @ezeakiodarmey9448 23 дні тому +3

      Max being mid video, stopping abruptly, "did you hear that?"

  • @jeffreyrobinson3555
    @jeffreyrobinson3555 25 днів тому +129

    I was a submariner and out cooks baked fresh loafs every day. The boat smelled so nice… until they blew the sanitary tanks and that was a whole different smell

    • @johnniewoodard648
      @johnniewoodard648 25 днів тому +11

      Or some half asleep sailor doesn't see the blowing sanitary warning signs, and opens the flush valve......

    • @Martin_Priesthood
      @Martin_Priesthood 25 днів тому

      😮😢😂😂😂

    • @aramisortsbottcher8201
      @aramisortsbottcher8201 25 днів тому +12

      "The last words of a submarine captain? Open the window, it smells!"

    • @Martin_Priesthood
      @Martin_Priesthood 25 днів тому

      @@aramisortsbottcher8201 🤣😂🤕

    • @ArxosFX
      @ArxosFX 24 дні тому +2

      I'm so glad I never experienced that on my last boat.

  • @KathyPrendergast-cu5ci
    @KathyPrendergast-cu5ci 24 дні тому +20

    Sailors also drank almost nothing but beer, cider, or ale (which was used to soak the hardtack biscuits to soften them); all these beverages have nutritional value and in a pinch could keep people from starving even without the biscuits. Beer or ale the way it was originally made in Europe was a thick, soupy survival food, with less alcohol content than typical beer today, and people of all ages consumed it.

    • @seronymus
      @seronymus 22 дні тому +2

      This is partly why the Romans considered beer "barbaric" in its thick, primal form. Also an old Townsends video discussed how small beer was recommended to children to help them grow from the nutrients

    • @markhatfield5621
      @markhatfield5621 11 днів тому

      Related too, is wine as mentioned in the Bible or old Greek and Roman stories. It was mostly water, wine added to water, for flavor and to kill the bugs. People who drank straight wine were considered alcoholics.

    • @KathyPrendergast-cu5ci
      @KathyPrendergast-cu5ci 10 днів тому +1

      @@markhatfield5621 Uh oh…I usually have a glass of “straight wine” a day!😁

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 2 дні тому

      Beer, part of a balanced diet!

  • @billyrussell1511
    @billyrussell1511 25 днів тому +213

    Please forgive me but I can't hear about hardtack without my minds eye seeing Max Miller clack clacking 🙈😂

    • @fernbedek6302
      @fernbedek6302 25 днів тому +12

      Hard tack with nutmeg: the perfect historic youtube food.

    • @erinbailey4631
      @erinbailey4631 25 днів тому +4

      Same here… 😂

    • @ryanmeade6742
      @ryanmeade6742 25 днів тому +7

      He's conditioned us 😂

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +12

      It's a rule on UA-cam now. If you're including hardtack in your video, you are required to do the double-clack at least once.

    • @VoodooMcVee
      @VoodooMcVee 25 днів тому +10

      @@ryanmeade6742 Max "Pavlov's Hardtack" Miller

  • @PetherNortal1
    @PetherNortal1 25 днів тому +273

    Ships biscuits are like flavourless jawbreakers

    • @FrikInCasualMode
      @FrikInCasualMode 25 днів тому +35

      They were never meant to be tasty. They were a way to preserve calories (carbs!) in edible form for months and years - usually in difficult conditions.

    • @Cr4z3d
      @Cr4z3d 25 днів тому +11

      That's the funniest description of them I've ever heard.

    • @arifhossain9751
      @arifhossain9751 25 днів тому +16

      ​@@FrikInCasualMode
      Keyword being "edible". To put that into perspective, technically, paper is edible.

    • @wanderingcalamity360
      @wanderingcalamity360 25 днів тому +5

      You're not wrong.
      I make mine with a little bit of baking powder and salt and roll them out to about tortilla thickness and cut it out to about the size of a Ritz cracker.
      Bake it low and slow until about a golden brown, and then run it through my food dehydrator
      The result is like a more rugged cracker.
      Not historical accurate by any stretch, but it's at least edible and doesn't break your teeth.
      Every time I've tried the historically accurate variety, I've been worried about chipping teeth on it.

    • @deleted_handle
      @deleted_handle 25 днів тому

      it tastes like old

  • @MB-st7be
    @MB-st7be 25 днів тому +66

    In the Hornblower TV series you see the cook using one of those stoves. It was a wooden replica prop, and when the series ended they gave the prop stove to HMS Unicorn which is a museum ship in Dundee, you can see it there

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +10

      That's one of those nerd-out moments I have every time I watch that series. I love that they put so much effort into doing things accurately, down to the galleys and even the food they serve to the sailors.

    • @skilletpan5674
      @skilletpan5674 25 днів тому +4

      @@Raskolnikov70 Yes there were a few good shows like that back in the 80s and 90s as well. I don't remember most of them but I did watch them as a kid. You could start to watch other shows and go "the buttons are wrong" etc. haha. The Sharp series is kind of good too.

    • @1TakoyakiStore
      @1TakoyakiStore 25 днів тому +3

      That was a great series!

    • @charlesgeorge9701
      @charlesgeorge9701 21 день тому +1

      Excuse me sir, what do you mean by helping yourself to my vittles 0_0

    • @MB-st7be
      @MB-st7be 21 день тому

      @@charlesgeorge9701 Render unto Caesar. I'll leave it to you to figure which of us is Caesar.

  • @janerkenbrack3373
    @janerkenbrack3373 25 днів тому +54

    When I was a sailor aboard merchants ships in the 80s we had three meals a day prepared by cooks from a broad range of foods, but the quality of the stores and cooking talents varied widely. A ship was often referred to as a "good feeder" if the standards were high.
    But regulations that had long been superseded by modern contracts were still posted showing a pound of hardtack per sailor among the requirements. If we had a bad feeder, we might grumble of giving us the hardtack instead.

    • @Timeward76
      @Timeward76 19 днів тому +1

      I cannot imagine getting food so bad Id prefer hardtack, Im so so sorry for what you and those sailors mustve had to endure in the bad feeders...

    • @janerkenbrack3373
      @janerkenbrack3373 19 днів тому +2

      @@Timeward76 I'm sorry if my story suggested we were truly serious. Merely griping. I've had some lousy cooks, but it wasn't worth making a case out of.

    • @Timeward76
      @Timeward76 19 днів тому +1

      @@janerkenbrack3373 I wasnt being fully serious in my own response, but I still dont wanna imagine what qualifies as a "bad feeder" for a sailor, lol.

  • @scalylayde8751
    @scalylayde8751 25 днів тому +19

    Ngl I was really hoping that Townsends would reach out to Max Miller and get the [clack clack] clip to splice in there

  • @Grissbane
    @Grissbane 25 днів тому +87

    Clack clack

    • @heathermason9311
      @heathermason9311 25 днів тому +7

      Max Miller cracking those biscuits together lives rent free in my head.

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +5

      The double-clack is now mandatory in any video about hardtack.

  • @ianhowick
    @ianhowick 25 днів тому +9

    11:19 Did he? Yeah he did! Thats Awesome! CLAK CLAK!

  • @jcortese3300
    @jcortese3300 25 днів тому +76

    The first thing I thought when I saw the title of this video was "Replace hardtack?! No one tell Max!" And Jon's clack-clack and all the clack-clacks in the comment delight me. 🙂 I cannot WAIT until at some point, we get a collab video with Townsends and Max. It's got to happen eventually.
    I always thought that the point of hardtack was just to make flour easier to transport, just turning it into bricks like was done with tea.

    • @Jatzette
      @Jatzette 25 днів тому +4

      You mean a collab like the one they did three years ago? ua-cam.com/users/livezGNfsHqmYKw?si=yAAW6Tyw6BlzBwG7

    • @carloshenriquezimmer7543
      @carloshenriquezimmer7543 25 днів тому +2

      It is one of the reasons to make hardtack, but also it is a matter of preservation. Flour goes bad very fast if it is left moist, so baking it dry prevented the spoiladge.
      Also, the hardtack were made on a standart size, so every so many biscuits would be worth 1 pound of flour, so, were that many for each man per day.

  • @g.v.hedgpeth2602
    @g.v.hedgpeth2602 25 днів тому +8

    Ship's biscuits...CLACK! CLACK!...For a second, I thought I was watching Tasting History! 😆

    • @Rocketsong
      @Rocketsong 18 днів тому

      Pretty sure Max referenced Townsends original hardtack video when he made his hardtack video. But Max's CLACK CLACK is now so iconic I was actually expecting Jon to splice in Max for 2 seconds.

  • @eivujeienin
    @eivujeienin 25 днів тому +15

    Baking fresh bread would also take a massive quantity of fresh water every day that would be a massive cargo issue!

  • @PlebiasFate1609
    @PlebiasFate1609 25 днів тому +15

    When i see those biscuits idk but a vision and the sound of *clack clack* playing in my head

  • @tokencivilian8507
    @tokencivilian8507 25 днів тому +15

    I'd love to see a collab with Drachinfel on the subject of food in the Navy in the time period. He had a great discussion of the weekly ration of the Spanish Armada vs the English Fleet.

    • @johnmiller8975
      @johnmiller8975 22 дні тому

      amazing how we know the good content dudes isn't it?

  • @jeffreyrobinson3555
    @jeffreyrobinson3555 25 днів тому +47

    A two hundred man crew would get two hundred pounds of bread per day, a three month voyage would have nine tons of bread
    Pork, beef, oats, raisins for a once a week duff, oats cheese, butter, .. ships were food stores with cannons

    • @alpinealpine2793
      @alpinealpine2793 24 дні тому +3

      A 3 month voyage would include ports of call, where they could restock the galley.

    • @gagenater
      @gagenater 23 дні тому

      @@alpinealpine2793 sometimes, but not always. 3 months is a short trip for a sailing vessel, and wouldn't necessarily include any port stops.

  • @amistry605
    @amistry605 25 днів тому +20

    11:17 Tasting History, anyone?

    • @Rocketsong
      @Rocketsong 18 днів тому +1

      Yeah, Max's channel took off when the great UA-cam algorithm recommended him after a Townsend video a couple years ago. It was great, Max went to bed and woke up in the morning with thousands of subscribers all saying "we came here from Townsends".

  • @SimonaDancila-rv6uh
    @SimonaDancila-rv6uh 25 днів тому +20

    In Romania we have a method to obtain natural yeast, named ,,MAIA` by fermenting a few days flour and water. It is also named PLĂMĂDEALĂ, the root of the word PLUMP, meaning round fluffy bread.

  • @frankmacleod2565
    @frankmacleod2565 25 днів тому +6

    Incredibly interesting. Also love the Hard Tack Tap!! Tasting History indeed

  • @sevenproxies4255
    @sevenproxies4255 25 днів тому +7

    There is a type of traditional bread made here in Sweden that shares a few properties of ships biscuit. It's called "Knäckebröd" (Crisp bread) and is still enjoyed today at swedish breakfast and dinner tables.
    It's a pretty thin slice of bread that's also very dry so it can be stored for months without going bad so long as it's kept away from moisture.
    In modern grocery stores they are normally shipped being cut into rectangular pieces, but hundreds of years ago they were shaped into big circular discs with a hole in the center.
    This shape had a purpose where you could thread several discs of bread onto a wooden dowel, and the dowel would be mounted high up in a kitchen to prevent rats or mice near the fireplace so the vermin couldn't reach it and the heat from the hearth would ensure that the bread was kept dry and good to eat for a very long time.

    • @crosisofborg5524
      @crosisofborg5524 25 днів тому +1

      I’ve never had that but Skolebrød is my favorite pastry.

    • @sevenproxies4255
      @sevenproxies4255 24 дні тому

      @@crosisofborg5524 If you would like to try it out, then you should be able to find Knäckebröd in IKEA stores outside of Sweden.
      So if you happen to be going to shop for furniture, pick up a package and try it out with some butter on top.
      My personal favourite topping is slices of fresh cucumber, but it goes well with cheese, various vegetables, paté or whatever you can think of.
      Also, while not the most common thing in Sweden, you can also eat it as a slightly healther variant of a chocolate bar by spreading nutella and peanut butter on it. 🙂

  • @bholdr----0
    @bholdr----0 25 днів тому +9

    @10:20- He raises a very good point re: sailors in the Age of Sail (say, 1550-1850)- they ate far, far better than most people at the time- especially in the navy (the British Royal Navy in particular)...
    Their diet would come out to over 5000-6000+ calories per day! They would have, in addition to the ubiquitous daily pound of hardtack, a whole pound of meat (salt pork or beef) five days each week- as well as butter, peas, cheese, veggies if available, and even puddings, etc, as well as a gallon of small (like 2% alcohol or less) beer, and on long voyages, the far more popular grog (1/2 pint of rum @ 120+ proof mixed 4-1 with water and lemon or lime juice to prevent scurvy- it's actually pretty tasty, too) every single day, along with an optional tobacco ration, as well as whatever they could buy or catch.
    The sailor's rations were probably far more nutritious (if not very tasty) than what 95% of what most people ate in that era. (People who could expect meat MAYBE once per week, if they were successful tradesmen, farmers, etc.)

    • @Trebor74
      @Trebor74 18 днів тому +1

      Your men can't fight if they are well cared for.

    • @christopherreed4723
      @christopherreed4723 17 днів тому

      You mean "aren't" don't you.
      The olds Scots song "Forfar Sodger" makes a reference to that. One of the verses goes:
      "My faither was a weaver poor
      As ever filled a spool, Sir;
      And never was meat cam tae wir
      door
      But jist a pun' at Yule, Sir."

  • @Pygar2
    @Pygar2 25 днів тому +7

    "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

    • @KairuHakubi
      @KairuHakubi 25 днів тому +2

      I was hoping someone would say that. They knew bread back then for sure! Even if it was more often flatter than we're used to, bread's bread.

    • @seronymus
      @seronymus 22 дні тому +2

      "You are salt and light..." ☦️

    • @Pygar2
      @Pygar2 22 дні тому +1

      @@seronymus Thanks!

  • @rabuuyoutube5949
    @rabuuyoutube5949 25 днів тому +5

    @townsends John I've always been a huge fan, like from day one. But this video shows how far you've come as an absolute professional. Your research and delivery is top tier. I would say one of the best historian video makers of all time. God bless and keep up the good work.

  • @MalReaver
    @MalReaver 25 днів тому +8

    I think ships biscuits must have been the inspiration for Terry Pratchett when he came up with 'dwarf bread' in his Discworld novels 😂

    • @markstott6689
      @markstott6689 25 днів тому +1

      Undoubtedly. 😂❤😂

    • @C.L.Hinton
      @C.L.Hinton 25 днів тому +1

      The Scone of Stone! 😆

    • @jeromethiel4323
      @jeromethiel4323 24 дні тому +1

      @@C.L.Hinton Battle crumpets!

    • @wwfeatherston
      @wwfeatherston 20 днів тому +1

      My wife does a fair tactical scone.

    • @christopherreed4723
      @christopherreed4723 17 днів тому +1

      Definitely, although the concept was also a dig at elven "lembas" from Lord of the Rings.

  • @pek5117
    @pek5117 25 днів тому +18

    Lol the 'Clack Clack'.

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +1

      It's now a rule that anyone doing videos that include hardtack must perform at least one double-clack.

    • @odinfromcentr2
      @odinfromcentr2 25 днів тому +1

      [Max Miller loved that.]

  • @TheRattyBiker
    @TheRattyBiker 25 днів тому +19

    11:14 - very slick!

  • @buffewo6386
    @buffewo6386 25 днів тому +19

    This is why they say an Army marches on its stomach. At sea, resupply is almost impossible at this time.
    Aside from the fire hazard, think of the fuel requirements to bake for the ship? Just stowing it would be a problem.

    • @jamesverhoff1899
      @jamesverhoff1899 25 днів тому +3

      And how are you going to keep the yeast alive in Arctic/Antarctic cold and tropical heat? Like anyone interested in navies of this time I've read about the Bounty, and one thing that's always impressed me was the sheer variety of climates they traveled through. There aren't many things that can survive that sort of variety. Yet ships had to be prepared to feed their men through all of it, in the Roaring 40s and hurricanes to boot!
      It's not a wonder that they didn't have fresh bread; it's a wonder they found any foods at all that were capable of doing the job!

    • @carloshenriquezimmer7543
      @carloshenriquezimmer7543 25 днів тому

      @@jamesverhoff1899 If the sourdough starter is packed in salt, like they show at 4:33, the yeast dehidrates and goes dormant, surviving for, possibly, centuries.
      In the heat it proliferates, as long as it is not exposed to direct sunligth; feed it and it will be available very easy. It is safe to use, as long as it is constantly renewed, take a piece and add to new flour every day, discard the rest to prevent bacterial grouth.
      In the cold it can survive, unless it freezes. It will not work well, it needs warmth, and it can allow the botulism bacteria to grow, so better keep it packed in salt.
      But it is true, they could not ever had any "fancy" foods at the time, it all had to be dry or salted.

    • @christopherreed4723
      @christopherreed4723 17 днів тому

      Different navies found different solutions. The Dutch, I heard long ago, took barrels of fermented cabbage on their ships. Nowadays, we call it sauerkraut. It was readily available at their home ports, kept reasonably well, and they found that on ships that carried it the sailors didn't get scurvy as quickly. Nowadays we know that sauerkraut is rich in Vitamin C, among other useful things.

  • @pek5117
    @pek5117 25 днів тому +11

    I've had both burgoo and just ships biscuit soaked in grog and burgoo is nice and fills you up. Having to chew on rum soaked ships biscuit isn't pleasant. Thanks Jon

  • @jerryodell1168
    @jerryodell1168 25 днів тому +8

    Thanks to all the Navy Chefs. The cooks in 18th century must have had an almost impossible task. Our cooks on the USS Canberra CAG-2 worked very hard and did the best they could. The ship, a heavy cruiser, could have up to 1200 sailors on board. (some WW2 ships of near the same size were called Pocket Battleships) With modern shipboard rations the task is not as hard as 18th century, yet I respect their ability to keep us fed. The task was much harder when we were on the line during General Quarters when the food had to be passed to us at our battle stations. There were times they could only give us US Navy "C" rations which were not as bad as some say.

  • @billmelater6470
    @billmelater6470 25 днів тому +6

    I would also encourage anyone to make their own bread. With a dutch oven, you can easily make the crusty bread that costs $4-$5 per loaf at the store. Pan bread is even easier.
    It's better quality than store bought and can save you money. It's also really not difficult to do.

  • @djlclopez128
    @djlclopez128 13 днів тому +7

    My Granny passed away a few days ago and she loved videos about old style food - she grew up on the rivers in Oklahoma in a giant family. I am so used to sharing videos like this with her, she always tells me about how she did the same as a kid. I almost clicked to share this video with her just now. I am so heartbroken, I love and miss my Granny. But I am also rejoicing because she had all her faith in the Lord Jesus. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. John 14:6 I'll see her again!

    • @thefreemonk6938
      @thefreemonk6938 5 днів тому +1

      I am extremely sorry for your loss. Take care bud!

  • @JamesPawson
    @JamesPawson 22 дні тому +1

    A bread leavening video! Holy moly, this takes me back to 10 years ago when I first started watching this channel, when it seemed like that was the main topic, haha!
    Don't get me wrong, I love every direction this channel has gone in since then.
    One of very few channels I keep coming back to for so many years ❤

  • @DJ-fn3jm
    @DJ-fn3jm 25 днів тому +2

    11:17 @tastinghistory 🤣🤣

  • @Tokorai
    @Tokorai 25 днів тому +15

    2:5 "There is no brewer at sea" Got it, we just need to build a brewery into the ship!

    • @benn454
      @benn454 25 днів тому +1

      How do you expect the sailors to get any work done?

    • @jamesbuchanan4414
      @jamesbuchanan4414 25 днів тому

      @@benn454 the lash.

    • @samellowery
      @samellowery 25 днів тому

      Oh ships had stills they just weren't used for bread grog on the other hand...

  • @izzyG710
    @izzyG710 25 днів тому +11

    Hardtack *CLACK CLACK*

  • @The_Gallowglass
    @The_Gallowglass 25 днів тому +3

    0:03 A ships biscuit in the wild

  • @traviswebb5094
    @traviswebb5094 25 днів тому +7

    Hard tack is nothing compared to my grandma's cookies.

    • @Stipopedia
      @Stipopedia 25 днів тому +2

      I once botched my gingerbread and it got really hard you couldn't eat it. Didn't go bad either, at least in the 3 years I kept it in my cupboard.

  • @toddellner5283
    @toddellner5283 24 дні тому +1

    The earliest recipe I have for hardtack says to "beat the dough for half an hour with wooden clubs." It is misery in the shape of a hockey puck.

  • @bagel3703
    @bagel3703 25 днів тому +6

    As a professional baker it's amazing to see just how many of these techniques we still use.
    We make a kind of combo bread that uses both old dough (for flavor) and fresh yeast (to decrease rise time).

  • @TheEcho112
    @TheEcho112 25 днів тому +1

    I can't hear the word "hardtack" without it immediately being followed by a "clack clack" sound anymore. Feels like something is missing without the knocking. Hahaha

  • @sevenproxies4255
    @sevenproxies4255 25 днів тому +3

    This old dough technique reminds me of traditional methods of making yoghurt.
    In much the same way they'd keep an amount of old yoghurt to use for the next batch, which meant that for every dairy farm the bacteria culture involved would be unique and also had an impact on how the yoghurt would taste.

  • @nacidocoqui
    @nacidocoqui 25 днів тому +1

    Funny that hard tack being clacked together is a core memory 🤣

  • @CyrusBluebird
    @CyrusBluebird 25 днів тому +7

    Hindsight 20-20 and all, but I'm surprised pickled cabbage wasn't put in drums and served.

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +4

      These types of channels tend to focus on the Anglo-world navies so much, I wonder if there's anyone out there doing vids about the 18th century French or German navies. Maybe the continentals did it differently?

    • @Stipopedia
      @Stipopedia 25 днів тому

      If it's against scurvy, at the time that illness was not really understood and causes were disputed. Like, people new fresh food on the mainland helped, some knew about lemons but sauerkraut is neither fresh nor lemons. Aside from that, it was really unpopular with the sailors.

    • @JeffEbe-te2xs
      @JeffEbe-te2xs 25 днів тому

      Mainly German only

    • @markstott6689
      @markstott6689 25 днів тому +1

      I love cabbage. In fact, all brassicas. However sauerkraut doesn't work for me. I wanted it to. My disappointment was as great as my dislike. 😢

  • @angellahanson8343
    @angellahanson8343 25 днів тому +4

    Click click!! Thanks for the taste of history. Your channel has enriched my life.

  • @nickjohnson410
    @nickjohnson410 25 днів тому +2

    If you have never baked your own bread you should try it. It's easy and you won't regret it.

  • @Erginho9
    @Erginho9 25 днів тому +14

    I would obediently sacrifice my perfect teeth and jaw if Jon Townsend and Max Miller asked me to bite into a hardtack.

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 25 днів тому +2

      I'd just hand it off to Steve1989 and let him deal with it.

  • @rockycvs3
    @rockycvs3 25 днів тому +16

    Broke the sound barrier when he clapped those biscuits together.

  • @sheilam4964
    @sheilam4964 25 днів тому

    Great info. Thx for doing this, filming it and sharing it with us.

  • @bholdr----0
    @bholdr----0 25 днів тому +8

    During the Klondike gold rush, and before and beyond, 'Sourdough boys' would keep a small piece of the risen dough as a starter for the next batch of bread, often kept near the stove to help it propagate... There were stories (maybe apocryphal, maybe not) about sourdough starters which came from an original batch many, many batches ago, each time a small amount would be held back and used to starter for the next batch, repeated again and again, until, sometimes, it was supposedly decades old!
    (Like a pigtail on a 18th century man-a-war's sailor, the age of one's sourdough was a mark of authenticity and credibility for the explorers in Alaska and the Yukon).
    I'm not sure how much of that is true, but it is definitely a good story!

    • @carloshenriquezimmer7543
      @carloshenriquezimmer7543 25 днів тому +1

      I believe that there is a bakery in Germany, or Austria, that has been using the same starter yeast from the 1600's (alegedlly)...
      And some families of immigrants, here in southern Brazil, had the same starters since they came from Germany and Italy, from 1800's up until the early 90's. Some of them were said to be made from theyr last bread from home...

    • @bholdr----0
      @bholdr----0 25 днів тому

      @@carloshenriquezimmer7543
      Wow... Interesting 🤔!

    • @adreabrooks11
      @adreabrooks11 20 днів тому +1

      My grandmother kept a sourdough going for 31 years, until a kitchen fire destroyed the batch. I think she mourned its loss more than the loss of her fancy guest-china.

    • @bholdr----0
      @bholdr----0 20 днів тому

      @@adreabrooks11 that's amazing. It reminds me of one of my grandmothers- she didn't keep a starter (as far as i know) but, instead of using store bought yeast, she'd let the bread rise outside, in her rice and barley fields, grapes, and hops, etc, and other areas on her land... I just realized that was because there was probably natural yeast/ other bacteria out there, in the air amid the gardens.
      She made both ales and wine- blackberry in particular. Food for thought 🤔 for me.
      (Her still was 100% science, though- blackberry vodka!

    • @adreabrooks11
      @adreabrooks11 20 днів тому +1

      @@bholdr----0 Very cool!
      Yeah, wild yeasts are the reason that many wines and breads (which are often named for the region they're from) have their individual characters. Champagne yeast, for example, comes from the Champenois in France. These specific yeast strains gave particular flavours, mouth-feels and so on, and became specifically sought after over those from other areas.
      Sounds like Granny was a smart lady! ^_^

  • @Blrtech77
    @Blrtech77 23 дні тому

    Jon, another absolutely amazing video. Thank you, and keep up the great work.

  • @bholdr----0
    @bholdr----0 25 днів тому +2

    Lol... When he said that some sailor's would complain about soft bread, and would rather have hardtack, it reminded me of a book wherein a sailor, being held captive in France, complained about the fresh French bread- he was worried that if he ate bread with holes in it, he would naturally 'blow out (his) gaff' (fart)... 'it stands to reason, sir!'

  • @rh_BOSS
    @rh_BOSS 25 днів тому +2

    This channel has such wholesome vibe to it. Keep up the good work!

  • @Jason4Star
    @Jason4Star 25 днів тому +1

    I think you are correct at the very end of this video, that the reason this never because 'standard fare' is because the number and size of the ovens that would be required to bake enough bread for all of the men aboard the ship.

  • @YeshuaT-bm6ss
    @YeshuaT-bm6ss 25 днів тому +2

    I was a cook/officer on a 192 foot boat in the Alaska Bering Sea and I can tell it wasn't easy to cook out especially when you forget to latch your pots down 😂😂😂 great video thank you

    • @tracysmith7935
      @tracysmith7935 23 дні тому +1

      I suspect the cook didn't forget to latch down the pots too often. Ha ha ha

    • @YeshuaT-bm6ss
      @YeshuaT-bm6ss 21 день тому

      @@tracysmith7935 I did 1 time after spilling over 6 dozen eggs all over the galley I learned my lesson 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @lukeb6394
    @lukeb6394 25 днів тому +2

    That tap tap reminds me of max tasting history

  • @AMKB01
    @AMKB01 25 днів тому +1

    When you mentioned that the old dough can be generations old, and how sour it could get, it suddenly reminded my of a memory my late father shared with me. They used old dough when he was a child in pre-WWII Poland. He remembered one of his neighbours had an old dough they used that was actually black, and really, really sour. He said it tasted terrible - but they kept using it!

  • @FruitMuff1n
    @FruitMuff1n 25 днів тому +1

    fascinating video as always, I appreciate the background research, stories and pictures you put together. So interesting to think about the history of bread.

  • @brick6347
    @brick6347 25 днів тому +18

    Oddly, this remains a popular method to this day. You can't get fresh yeast in jail either.

    • @tiny989
      @tiny989 25 днів тому +2

      That's for other reasons

    • @brick6347
      @brick6347 25 днів тому +5

      ​@@tiny989granted. But if you're making château de toilet you still need to get yeast. And old bread is the way.

    • @natviolen4021
      @natviolen4021 25 днів тому +4

      @@tiny989 To prevent the prisoners from brewing stuff?

    • @10191927
      @10191927 25 днів тому

      😂 Why are we worrying about getting yeast in jail?

  • @adamwelch4336
    @adamwelch4336 25 днів тому +2

    Remember kids you have to choose the lesser of two weevils! 😂🐛

  • @coraxdomina7938
    @coraxdomina7938 14 днів тому

    Finally have a chance to watch this episode (Townsends is one of my top 3 channels for watching while I wash dishes) and had to stop long enough to thank you for the Max Miller nod. I laughed so loud my dogs were worried :D

  • @abcstardust
    @abcstardust 24 дні тому

    Thank you so much for this excellent video! Your knowledge of these things continues to Amaze!

  • @dorseyblack9833
    @dorseyblack9833 25 днів тому +4

    Excellent video! A sailor's life aboard the wooden ships was difficult in the extreme.

    • @samellowery
      @samellowery 25 днів тому

      Most sailors ate better at sea than on land.

  • @Dexterity_Jones
    @Dexterity_Jones 24 дні тому

    Super interesting and informative episode, as always team.

  • @darthplagueis13
    @darthplagueis13 25 днів тому +2

    I got some doubts about the notion that the reason why the old dough technique was more common over in europe had to do whether people drank beer or wine. Even in places with a very dedicated wine culture, be that italy, france, the german rhineland, austria or else, you still had a lot of beer drinking.
    I think what may have mattered more was the style of beer. When making ale, you use a top-fermenting yeast which does nicely as baking yeast, producing a sweet-ish and flavourful dough.
    However, many regions on the continent started using bottom-fermenting yeast which ferments at a lower temperature (mostly for Lager-style beer), making it less likely to be ruined by unwanted bacteria or fungi, but it ferments more slowly and generally just doesn't produce as nice of a taste in baking.
    Of course, there's also another simple reason: If you do the old dough technique, you only need to get barm from the brewer once and then can just keep on using your bread starter over and over again. The bread you'd get is closer to sour dough than white bread, but especially for people in rural areas who'd bake their own bread at home, it was simply a means to make yourself more self-sufficient. You wouldn't be buying a staple food such as bread from a baker if you could help it, money was spent on things that you couldn't really make yourself because you were either lacking the skillset or the required resources to do it at home.

  • @adventureguy4119
    @adventureguy4119 25 днів тому +4

    we don’t even have a good understanding of beer. Our beer today is more like beer flavores water. Beer of period would of made you overfilled if you drink like we do now

    • @kmoecub
      @kmoecub 25 днів тому +1

      There are many, many styles of beer. We absolutely do know a lot about beer and how to make it. In the 18th century small beer was drank instead of water.

    • @adventureguy4119
      @adventureguy4119 25 днів тому

      @@kmoecub I was referring to the general public understand

  • @535tony
    @535tony 24 дні тому

    I remember reading a old British story about a poor Family who found a barrel of ships biscuits on the beach. It kept them from starving that winter.

  • @heidi_mcheidiface
    @heidi_mcheidiface 23 дні тому

    I'm picturing a cover of the Blue Danube waltz with Jon and Max providing *clack clack* at the end of each phrase.

  • @katleman
    @katleman День тому

    Up in Newfoundland for the summer. Every grocery store has Hard Bread (Hard Tack) prominently available in the store, it’s still a staple up here

  • @williamespinosa9094
    @williamespinosa9094 25 днів тому +2

    That was awesome. I always enjoy your videos! Appreciate you, sir 👊 ❤🇺🇸

  • @kanrakucheese
    @kanrakucheese 25 днів тому +3

    Hardtack goes back to Roman times where it was known as "bucellatum".

  • @Ptitmalle
    @Ptitmalle 25 днів тому +1

    Thanks for the video 👍

  • @spindoggytheexplorer2915
    @spindoggytheexplorer2915 25 днів тому

    This is the video I’ve been waiting for!
    More info on how to maintain constant food sources for the masses please!

  • @5argetech56
    @5argetech56 25 днів тому

    The old dough technique is really a starter for the next batch.

  • @guycalgary7800
    @guycalgary7800 25 днів тому

    A hunk of bread , a spread of butter and served with a big bowl of mushroom soup. Perfection to me.

  • @HerrDark
    @HerrDark 23 дні тому

    It is amazing how far we have came, looking at modern naval ship galleys today and what they can make is amazing.

  • @JamesShow
    @JamesShow 15 днів тому

    I love this topic every single time.

  • @mikelshort9150
    @mikelshort9150 25 днів тому +1

    He did a Tasting History hardtack click-clack.

  • @petebrodnax9358
    @petebrodnax9358 22 дні тому

    I asked for this video like three years ago, not just a hard tack video but a shift biscuit video

  • @NakedNathan
    @NakedNathan 21 день тому +3

    I’m a ship’s cook, and let me tell you: thank the gods for modern refrigeration

  • @DOOM_A-O
    @DOOM_A-O 25 днів тому +2

    11:18 oh no, its spreading. lol

  • @grantmitera2998
    @grantmitera2998 24 дні тому +1

    I have a tough time wrapping my head around how these guys were doing all this intense manual labor with almost no protein in their diets

  • @YourUncleDan
    @YourUncleDan 24 дні тому +1

    When I lived in France, there was a bakery that made something they called "pain au levain" - bread with leaven. I'm not sure if it was a sourdough or using something like this old dough technique, but it was so good and had so much more flavor than a traditional baguette. I used to go there every day to buy bread and have coffee, and sometimes got there while it was still warm. I miss that.

  • @michaelince7998
    @michaelince7998 20 днів тому

    Great episode

  • @tessie7e777
    @tessie7e777 25 днів тому +4

    Happy Sunday!

  • @simonfraser3332
    @simonfraser3332 24 дні тому +1

    11:18 OMG HE DID THE TEASTING HISTORY THING!!! :OOOOO!!!!!

  • @liquidpaper1349
    @liquidpaper1349 25 днів тому

    This reminds me a bit of baking sourdough and keeping a starter around that you keep feeding.

  • @thefreemonk6938
    @thefreemonk6938 5 днів тому

    I watch your videos to get cozy.

  • @RussellGummelt
    @RussellGummelt 25 днів тому

    This man is the bob ross of the 18th century, i love him
    i’ve made several batches of the molasses beer they did on this channel and i’ve gotten really attached to the flavor

  • @Muchhunk
    @Muchhunk 23 дні тому

    Ship biscuits with any brewed drink they had = champions breakfast