Maritime Pirates - What's for grubs & eatin'?

Pirate Vittles

Pirates tended to be a constantly hungry lot. Provisions often ran short, long before a journey ended and the supplies left were usually infested with vermin. Thus, the were forced to catch the bounty of the sea, hunt fame on nearby islands or make frequent stops to restock food and water.
        A pirate ship usually left the harbor with a supply of salted pork and alcohol. Tough biscuits, known as hardtack, were also brought, but these quickly became infested with weevils. Little water was carried because it became undrinkable with in a few days. Rum and beer were preferred by the crew and did not spoil easily. In 1753, when it was found that scurvy was caused by a lack of vitamin C, fresh fruit was also taken on sea journeys.
        When supplies ran out, pirates would catch their dinner. Crews would fish for tuna and dolphin, which followed the ship. If they went ashore on unpopulated islands, they caught monkeys, goats, and birds, chasing them with clubs. They also took slow moving sea turtles, easy prey for drunken pirates. When there was no land in sight, and the ocean yielded no food, the crews would eat their satchels. One member of Sir Captain Henry Morgan’s crew writes, “slice the leather into pieces then soak, beat and rub between stones to tenderize. Scrape off the hair, then roast of grill. Cut into smaller pieces and served with lots of water.”
       Most pirates were commoners, out for a life adventure. As such, they usually had an appalling lack of table manners. They ate using forks only rarely, shoveling food into their mouths with spoons or stabbing hunks with knives. Sometimes they simply used their fingers. Hungry for good portions of a voyage, pirates were not expected to eat politely. Plus, cooking was not always easy on pirate vessels. Captain Kidd’s Adventure Galley had only a cauldron, which could only be used in calm seas.
       Piracy was not a gourmet profession. Hunger was a common companion to these roving plunderers. They ate what they could find, when they could find it, and to hell with table manners.