Lobscouse, the Mess Stew
A thick, hearty stew born of necessity: you take the salt pork from the barrel, soften it in water, and thicken the whole with the famous ship's biscuit, that hard bread baked twice so it never moulds. Simple, nourishing, made to keep a watchman going in foul weather.
A thick, hearty stew born of necessity: you take the salt pork from the barrel, soften it in water, and thicken the whole with the famous ship's biscuit, that hard bread baked twice so it never moulds. Simple, nourishing, made to keep a watchman going in foul weather.
Here, this is what my people found in the mess-kid at every change of watch. You soak the barrel pork in plenty of water, for the salt of the casks burns the mouth, then bring it to a simmer with the onion and throw in the biscuit, broken with a hammer, to bind the thing. I never wanted a separate table: what the last sailor ate, I ate as well, and believe me, in a heavy sea, a warm belly is worth more than a fine speech. Spare not the pepper, it was all we had to wake the palate.
- •Barrel salt pork or beef — a good piece (preserved protein base)
- •Ship's biscuit (hardtack twice-baked) — a few biscuits (thickener and starch)
- •Onions — as many as the port yields (flavour)
- •Whole peppercorns — generously (ship's spice)
- •Sweetened seawater / fresh water — as needed (cooking liquid)
Lobscouse, the Mess Stew
A thick, hearty stew born of necessity: you take the salt pork from the barrel, soften it in water, and thicken the whole with the famous ship's biscuit, that hard bread baked twice so it never moulds. Simple, nourishing, made to keep a watchman going in foul weather.
Why this dish? This was the everyday fare on the Endeavour and Resolution: desalted salt pork, simmered with crumbled ship's biscuit to thicken. Cook shared this mess-kid with his men, refusing to eat apart — a way of leading by example.
Here, this is what my people found in the mess-kid at every change of watch. You soak the barrel pork in plenty of water, for the salt of the casks burns the mouth, then bring it to a simmer with the onion and throw in the biscuit, broken with a hammer, to bind the thing. I never wanted a separate table: what the last sailor ate, I ate as well, and believe me, in a heavy sea, a warm belly is worth more than a fine speech. Spare not the pepper, it was all we had to wake the palate.
Ingredients (period version)
- Barrel salt pork or beef — a good piece (preserved protein base)
- Ship's biscuit (hardtack twice-baked) — a few biscuits (thickener and starch)
- Onions — as many as the port yields (flavour)
- Whole peppercorns — generously (ship's spice)
- Sweetened seawater / fresh water — as needed (cooking liquid)
Ingredients
- Half-salt pork belly or corned beef — 400 g (protein base)
- Potatoes — 4 medium (starch (modern substitute for biscuit))
- Onions — 2 (flavour)
- Plain crackers or stale breadcrumbs — 2 handfuls (thickener like ship's biscuit)
- Black pepper, water — 1 tsp / 1 L (seasoning and cooking liquid)
Method
- Desalt the salted meat for 2 to 3 hours in cold water, changing the water once.
- Cut the meat into large dice, slice the onions.
- Brown the meat then the onions in a heavy pot.
- Cover with water, add the potatoes cut into chunks, simmer covered for 40 minutes.
- Crumble the crackers or stale bread into the stew to thicken, season generously with pepper, and serve piping hot in a mess bowl.
How it was made : On board, there was neither oven nor space: everything was done at the "galley", the great copper stove, in huge cauldrons. The ship's biscuit, baked twice to drive out all moisture, kept for years — not without having to tap it on the table to dislodge weevils before crumbling it into the soup.
The contemporary twist : Served in a tin mess bowl with a ship's biscuit laid across the rim like a board, in the style of "sailor's mess" — a nod to the night watches.
Sources : J. C. Beaglehole (ed.), The Journals of Captain James Cook on his Voyages of Discovery · Janet Macdonald, Feeding Nelson's Navy: The True Story of Food at Sea in the Georgian Era
James Cook · Charactorium