The Dining Innovations That Helped Us Conquer the Seas

Bratislav Milenkovic

Whether it’s a cruise liner or kayak, freighter or frigate, a boat’s voyage can last only as long as its victuals. Improvements in technologies for food preservation and preparation have allowed humans to explore, emigrate, and wage war overseas, says historian Simon Spalding in his new book, Food at Sea: Shipboard Cuisine From Ancient to Modern Times. Here are some key milestones (er, buoys) in the history of maritime dining.

The galley YASSI ADA SHIPWRECK // C. 625

A Byzantine ship found near the island of Yassi Ada in Turkey features the first known onboard galley, a 50-square-foot area with two cauldrons, more than 20 cooking pots, and a wooden platform covered in hearth tiles.

Preserved foods THE NINA, PINTA, SANTA MARIA // 1492

For a voyage of unknown duration, Columbus stocked his ships with dried meat, salted fish, wine, honey, molasses, and the dry, rock-hard bread known as “ship’s biscuit,” as well as salt for preserving meat from abroad.

Brodie stove HMS VICTORY // 1781

The iron stove that replaced open hearths on British naval ships boasted cranes that swung multiple pots above the fire, a rotating spit big enough for an entire sheep, and a condenser able to distill fresh water from brine.

Canned foods USS HARTFORD // 1864

Heat sterilization, initially developed for the French navy in the early 1800s, led to the early canned foods carried by Civil War-era US naval ships like the Hartford.

Refrigeration THE AMERIKA // 1904

The Amerika‘s Ritz-Carlton restaurant was the first transatlantic service to offer food cooked to order. Such luxury was enabled by shipboard compression refrigeration created to export meat from New Zealand to Britain.

Big data CARNIVAL ECSTASY // 2015

To create the illusion of unlimited food choices, Carnival Cruise Lines relies on statistical analysis. Each of Ecstasy‘s 2,056 passengers may choose from three soups, two salads, 11 entrées, and six desserts, but Carnival, having served the menu to millions, can accurately predict what will be ordered and provisions the ship for that amount.