| Abstrakt: |
During the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302) the Crown of Aragon developed a system to provide food for the crews of the Catalan-Aragonese fleet. This was no small undertaking as even when the fleet mustered only the minimal number of galleys the Office of the Admiral had to provide food for well over 3000 men for up to five months. Not only did tons food have to be gathered, it had to be prepared and stored for months at sea. All of this effort, of course, was to ensure the crews had an adequate diet. Their work was hard, particularly that of the rowers, and insufficient nutrition and calories could have seriously affected the fleet’s performance. Rowing required a great deal of energy and the diet had to provide the necessary calories if the men were to stay in fighting condition. Like other Christian fleets of the period, the meals consisted of cheese, meat mixed in a salsa of vegetables, biscotti and wine. However, the proportions of these elements were distinctly different from that in other fleets, and may reflect a distinct operational philosophy. This research note investigates the food provided to the crews in order to discover the nutrition and calories received by the typical crewman and to determine whether these were in fact sufficient for the gruelling work in which they were employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
