Episode 6: Christopher Columbus
Exploring life aboard the 1492 Atlantic crossing - from hardtack and salt cod to the simple meals that sustained explorers at sea
Introduction
Today on Kaz Cooks History, we’re eating like Christopher Columbus. A famed explorer and admiral, Columbus set sail with three caravels and a crew of roughly ninety men to cross the Atlantic and discover the “New World”. But how did they stay alive out there?
Equipped with a pantry stocked to survive the harsh conditions at sea, Columbus and his men sustained themselves on rations of ship’s biscuit, salt meat, salt cod, legumes, oil, vinegar, cheese, and wine, stopping off at La Gomera on Thursday 6 September 1492 to top up on water, wood and meat.
While Columbus likely ate local foods whilst ashore, this episode focuses on his seafaring diet—the meals that kept an entire crew alive for months at sea.
Recipes from this Episode
Columbus's Habas con Tocino (Broad Beans and Bacon)
Simple ship's galley pot - broad beans with bacon, bay, and vinegar for warmth and calories at sea
Columbus's Potaje de Garbanzos con Bacalao
The bowl Spanish sailors kept circling back to - chickpeas with salt cod, onion, garlic, and bay
Columbus's Ship's Biscuit (Hardtack) with Manchego
Admiral's breakfast aboard the 1492 Atlantic crossing - tooth-shattering hardtack softened with wine, served with manchego cheese, olives, and cured ham