Sailor Rations in the 18th Century - Burgoo

All naval rations were unappetizing in the Age of Sail. But they were no worse than what was fed to the armies of the day. While the officers dined quite well (they paid for it), the crew dined mostly on dried re-hydrated stuff like beans and oatmeal porridge, ship biscuit (i.e., hardtack, complete with weevils) and "salt horse" (pickled pork or beef). The two gills of rum daily were to keep the crew happy (it didn't always work) - The rum was mixed half-and-half with water so the sailors didn't get too wasted. They had to consume it under supervision to make sure they didn't squirrel it away for a real bender. A good history of naval chow is Rudy Shappee's "Beef Stew for 2500", San Diego, 2007 - complete with recipes!