Fresh Island Provisions — Banana and Coconut from Landfall
A very simple assembly of fresh fruit and coconut flesh brought aboard during a landfall at friendly islands. No elaborate cooking: freshness itself is the remedy. For sailors exhausted by weeks of biscuit and salt meat, it is a feast and a medicine.
A very simple assembly of fresh fruit and coconut flesh brought aboard during a landfall at friendly islands. No elaborate cooking: freshness itself is the remedy. For sailors exhausted by weeks of biscuit and salt meat, it is a feast and a medicine.
God be praised, we have found friendly land! The islanders bring us in their canoes fruits I cannot name, nuts as big as two fists full of fresh milk, and fresh water to fill our barrels. Eat, my lads, eat everything that grows: it is this, and not prayer alone, that drives away the disease that makes gums bleed and teeth fall. After so many weeks of biscuit, this tastes like paradise.
- •Ripe bananas — whatever the landfall provides (fresh fruit)
- •Coconut — a few (flesh and milk)
- •Fresh spring water — as much as needed (drink)
Fresh Island Provisions — Banana and Coconut from Landfall
A very simple assembly of fresh fruit and coconut flesh brought aboard during a landfall at friendly islands. No elaborate cooking: freshness itself is the remedy. For sailors exhausted by weeks of biscuit and salt meat, it is a feast and a medicine.
Why this dish? In 1643, at the Tonga Islands, my crews provisioned with fresh fruit, coconuts, and fresh water: these happy landfalls staved off the scurvy that gnaws at men deprived of fresh food on the open sea.
God be praised, we have found friendly land! The islanders bring us in their canoes fruits I cannot name, nuts as big as two fists full of fresh milk, and fresh water to fill our barrels. Eat, my lads, eat everything that grows: it is this, and not prayer alone, that drives away the disease that makes gums bleed and teeth fall. After so many weeks of biscuit, this tastes like paradise.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe bananas — whatever the landfall provides (fresh fruit)
- Coconut — a few (flesh and milk)
- Fresh spring water — as much as needed (drink)
Ingredients
- Ripe bananas — 4 (fresh fruit)
- Fresh coconut — 1 (or 150 g flesh) (flesh and milk)
- Lime juice — 1 (tangy freshness and anti-oxidation)
- Honey — 1 tbsp (optional) (sweet binder)
Method
- Open the coconut, reserve the water, and cut the flesh into thin strips.
- Peel and slice the bananas into rounds.
- Mix bananas and coconut, drizzle with lime juice to brighten the flavor and prevent the banana from browning.
- Bind with a drizzle of honey if desired, and serve immediately, well chilled.
- Drink the coconut water separately, as a refreshment.
How it was made : In the 17th century, the cause of scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) was unknown, but experience showed that landfalls and fresh food cured sailors. Tasman noted in his journal the provisions at Tonga. The exact fruits available on site are evoked: the principle of life-saving fresh food is what matters. (No New World products appear here, consistent with the period and location.)
The contemporary twist : Arranged in a bowl as an 'island salad' with toasted coconut flakes: the sailors' remedy becomes a sunny breakfast.
Abel Tasman · Charactorium