Girl on a Whaleship - What's for Dinner?: Food and Eating on Whaleships

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> Food Onboard
- A Dangerous Occupation
- What's for Dinner?: Food and Eating on Whaleships
- Mutiny!
- Sea Shanties and Other Songs
- Whaling Disaster of 1871
- Whaling and Wars
- Race & 19th Century Whaling
- Women and Whaling
- Whaling's Impact on Distant Cultures
- 19th Century Children's Literature
- Schooling in the 19th Century

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Whalers' Food A.K.A. Grub, cont

Shortening or fat (slush) was the ingredient that most cooks used to flavor the otherwise rather bland ingredients as well as to add calories necessary to provide energy for the hard work required of the crew. At the end of a voyage, captains would sell leftover cooking grease creating what was referred to as a "slush fund".

Captains' cabins often included stores of nicer things. It's doubtful, however, that all of these items on the following list, ever reached the fo'c'sle, except perhaps on special occasions:
Sugar
Olive oil
Cinnamon
Cloves
Hams
Chocolate
Pepper sauce
Lemon syrup
Cheese
Butter
Onions
Pickles

Some items were saved for special events such as on board visits from other whaling captains, South Sea chieftains or Port officials.

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