Sea Biscuits or Hard Tack

The sea biscuit was introduced by the British Navy in the 17th century as a basic food. They were used with salt beef in various ways.

Sea biscuits (or hard tack) were the universal food on ships until well into the 19th centry. The ingredients for sea biscuits were traditionally pig's fat, flour, outmeal, salt and egg powder.

It was left to the imagination of the ship's cook to make the crew happy and keep the moral high. Sea biscuits were extremely hard and the various ways cooks used to make them digestible included:

• Crushing by hammering to make a powder.
  
• Frying them to make a food called "Cracker Hash".
  
• Mixing them with pig's blood, flour, egg powder and salt to make "blood pancakes".
  
• Soaking them in water mixed with raisins to create "Dandy Funk".