Steerage Biscuit Hash

Hash made from pulverized hardtack, salt pork, and vegetables, served with mashed potatoes

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City/Region: England

Time Period: 1894

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Third class, or steerage, on the Titanic was served breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper, which was a major upgrade from other ships in decades past. Before this, third class passengers were given their rations, which they had to prepare and cook on their own. Sometimes they had to wait in line to use a stove, and not everyone would get a turn.

This meal hearkens back to that time. The recipe uses ingredients that were included in third class rations, and comes from a cookbook for sailors in 1894. I really can’t recommend making this. It’s…not great. There’s essentially no flavor, and the hash turns into a kind of paste in your mouth with the only texture coming from the onions. If I was really hungry and had no other options, I suppose it would be fine, but you shouldn’t feel the need to make this.

“Biscuit Hash. (Cold Meat Cookery)
Ingredients
6lbs. Broken biscuits, steeped
2lbs. Cold salt beef or pork.
1/2lb. dripping.
2 onions.
1 cooked carrot.
1 cooked turnip.
1 teaspoonful pepper.
1 teaspoonful mixed spice.
Method - Chop the meat, onions, and vegetables finely; squeeze the water well out of the biscuits, and rub them through a coarse wire sieve; add all the other ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Put it into a baking tin, and brown in a moderate oven until firm. Cut into squares and serve.”

— Cookery for Seamen by Alexander Quinlan and N.E. Mann, 1894

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Ingredients:

Hardtack

• 3 lbs (1.4 kg) whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 quart (1 L) water

Biscuit Hash

• 1.5 lbs (680 g) hardtack
• 1/2 onion
• 1 small carrot
• 1/4 turnip
• 1/2 lb (225 g) salt pork or bacon
• 1/4 cup (55 g) beef drippings or tallow, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice*

*This is usually a mix of things like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, coriander seeds, and a bit of clove. I used a bit of all of them.

Instructions:

1. For the hardtack: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. Mix the flour and salt together, then add the water and work it in until it forms a dry dough. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead for about 20 minutes or until it is smooth. You really can’t knead this too much.
3. Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then roll it out into a round about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. You can also roll the dough out into one big piece and cut out rounds with a cookie cutter.
4. Place the rounds on baking sheets. They can be quite close together as they won’t spread. Poke several holes into the biscuits with a chopstick so that they look like giant crackers. The holes will help them bake evenly without puffing up.
5. Bake the hardtack for 3 hours, then lower the temperature to 200°F (95°C), and bake for another 3 to 4 hours, or until the hardtack is completely dry and hard as a rock.
6. For the biscuit hash: Wrap the hardtack up in a kitchen towel, then hit it with a mallet or heavy rolling pin. You may want to work in batches for this. You want the pieces to be no bigger than 1 inch (2.5 cm), and a bit smaller is better.
7. Place the broken hardtack and any crumbs into a large bowl. Cover the hardtack with boiling water. Wait a few minutes for the hardtack to soak up some of the water, then add more to cover. Leave the hardtack to soak for at least 2 hours, but ideally for 6-7 hours or overnight.
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
9. Drain the soaked hardtack, then rub it through either a coarse sieve or a colander with small holes. It takes a bit of work, and you should end up with a kind of coarse wet sand texture, which, when squeezed together, kind of resembles peanut butter.
10. Peel the vegetables and chop them fine. Boil the carrot and turnip for a few minutes, or until they’re soft. The onions are left raw.
11. Dice the salt pork, then cook it in a frying pan for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown.
12. In a large bowl, combine the hardtack, vegetables, salt pork, melted tallow, pepper, and mixed spice. I added all of the other ingredients to the hardtack in two batches to help ensure even mixing.
13. Transfer the mixture into a large baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
14. Let cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve it forth with potatoes for extra authenticity.

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