William Pierce, "4 hhds. of oatmeal." Rye meal was usually meant by the
term "meal," and Window in his letter to George Morton advises him: "Let
your meal be so hard-trod in your casks that you shall need an adz or
hatchet to work it out with;" and also to "be careful to come by [be able
to get at] some of your meal to spend [use] by the way." Notwithstanding
that Bradford' speaks of their "selling away" some "60 firkins of
butter," to clear port charges at Southampton, and the leaders, in their
letter to the Adventurers from that port (August 3), speak of themselves,
when leaving Southampton in August, 1620, as "scarce having any butter,"
there seems to have been some left to give as a present to Quadrequina,
Massasoit's brother, the last of March following, which would indicate
its good "keeping" qualities. Wood, in his "New England's Prospect"
(ch. 2), says: "Their butter and cheese were corrupted." Bradford
mentions that their lunch on the exploration expedition of November 15,
on Cape Cod, included "Hollands cheese," which receives also other
mention. There is a single mention, in the literature of the day, of
eggs preserved in salt, for use on shipboard. "Haberdyne" (or dried salt
cod) seems to have been a favorite and staple article of diet aboard
ship. Captain Beecher minutes "600 haberdyne for the ship ARBELLA."
Wood says: "Their fish was rotten." Smoked "red-herring" were familiar
food to all the MAY-FLOWER company. No house or ship of England or
Holland in that day but made great dependence upon them. Bacon was, of
course, a main staple at sea. In its half-cooked state as it came from
the smoke-house it was much relished with their biscuit by seamen and
others wishing strong food, and when fried it became a desirable article
of food to all except the sick. Mention is made of it by several of the
early Pilgrim writers. Carlyle, as quoted, speaks of it as a diet-staple
on the MAY-FLOWER. Salt ("corned") beef has always been a main article
of food with seamen everywhere. Wood' states that the "beef" of the
Pilgrims was "tainted." In some way it was made the basis of a reputedly