You know, sailors used to get scurvy because of C deficiency back a couple centuries ago. Vitamin C degrades really easily, but is there any way you can store it long term other than pills or tablets? I’m just wondering if it would have been possible to do this in the past with the technology that was available.
Apparently meat contains enough vitamin c to fend off scurvy if you eat it fresh and not cooked to death (don’t remember just how raw it had to be); it worked for the Inuit. Depending on where your route takes you, that might have been an option. On the other hand, if you can get fresh meat, you can probably also get fresh fruit if you’re not on an arctic expedition.
Yes, that’s an option but it’s not a long life preservation method which is what I’m asking about. It’s just hunting/ gathering fresh food like anywhere else.
Preserved meat like salami has been around for quite a long time. My guess is it’s the same with fruit.
Live animals were embarked. Besides, the liver is a good source vitamin C.
Yeah, that’s fair.
pemmican is very long lived stable meat used on expeditions and retains enough vitamin c.
I think life was pretty cheap in that time and place, so very little time, effort, or money was invested in the well being of crew in the lower ranks.
That is to say, while it might have been possible to obtain fresh food, it often just wasnt a priority.
That wasn’t the question, though.
Oh, ok.
I thought we were just kind of chewing the fat, shooting the shit, so to speak.
If you want to be weird about it, your response doesn’t address the question either.