Posted on 06/28/2019 4:27:11 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Recently, by a circuitous route, I became interested in submarines and submariners especially the human aspect of the culture. What kind of man volunteers for this sort of duty, and how do the Navy, and individuals themselves, compensate for and cope with the extremely unnatural conditions, cramped living and limited resources?
It quickly became apparent that FOOD is very important on a submarine, in terms of morale and having something nice to look forward to; and while the job of cook there seems daunting, the submarine force is known for offering the best food of all the services. Submarine cooks have sometimes been sent to study at the Culinary Institute, as well as with famous chefs and restaurants.
Submarine Cuisine is a very interesting book published by the Submarine Research Center in Washington State in 2004, and contains many recipes from submarine cooks as well as lots of information about the foodlife and life in general on subs. It advertises itself as The secrets of the submarine cooks who, during the past fifty years, have served the best food in the world:
Another book, Dolphin Dishes, published in 1952, is actually a book of recipes from submariners wives and families, but also includes some that were favorites on particular boats, such as this Lobster Newburg served on the USS Nautilus (SSN571), the worlds first nuclear-powered sub:
Lobster Newburg Ala Nautilus
[This isnt verbatim from the book, because the instructions were a little vague; but all the ingredients are there.]
2 live lobsters
1-1/2 cups butter
1 cup sherry wine
1 tsp. Salt
dash of black pepper
¼ tsp. Paprika
dash of nutmeg
6 egg yolks, beaten
2 cups light cream
Boil lobster for 15 minutes. Remove from shell and dice meat into small pieces. Melt butter in a double boiler, blend in sherry and seasonings and add lobster. Combine egg yolks and cream.
Add egg mixture to lobster mixture slowly, stirring constantly. Cook until thick. Serve on hot toast or in patty shells.
A pdf of Dolphin Dishes is available from the Hathi Trust (takes a while to load):
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822037855665&view=1up&seq=12
I didnt think this would be complete without a recipe for S.O.S. - or Shit on a Shingle. Ive been told that the denigrating name isnt really because people didnt like it, but because of its ubiquity in military fare. Its one of my favorites, and while its not exactly inexpensive to make from scratch these days, thats superior to the frozen stuff:
Cream Chipped Beef
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1- 1/2 cups milk 1 (8 ounce) jar dried beef, diced
Black pepper to taste.
Melt butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Slowly add the milk, whisking. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens, then add black pepper to taste, and the dried beef. Serve over toast or biscuits.
For a history of the Dolphin Insignia at top, go here:
https://www.hrb-ussvi.org/single-post/2018/05/25/History-of-the-Dolphin-Insignia
And here is a discussion on Quora of submarine food, with comments from former submariners:
https://www.quora.com/How-is-the-food-on-US-navy-submarines
-JT
Yes; and it ‘stretches’, with the milk, butter, toast, &c :-)
Thanks
Never had it that way, but maters are good.
I’ll try to post the one with tomatoes when I can.
I’ve been searching for a good “Chicken Enchilada” recipe. Hope someone can help.
Food quality has considerable importance not just in submarines but also in Naval and Merchant Marine vessels. My father, a Kings Point graduate and an officer in the USN and in the Merchant Marine, several times resolved crew morale and conduct issues by diplomatically getting the cook and kitchen crew to change how they prepared and served meals.
I saw stories like that, in my reading.
Napoleon wasn’t wrong - doesn’t matter if you’re marching or sailing.
This was a family favorite growing up. My dad (Army Air Corps) called it S-O-S a few times but out of respect for my mom politely called it “dried beef gravy.”
I can’t have it very often now because of the salt.
I have a little cookbook with Navy recipes in it. I made a few of them when I was a young mom, and they were very good.
The great thing about SOS is once you learn to make the cream sauce you have many options of ingredients to switch it up. Just check the salt and seasoning levels.
Try diced up hard boiled eggs, either by themselves or with meat. Chopped up crispy bacon would be good.
My mom used canned tuna and served with canned green beans.
Use chicken and add a few vegs and it could be like pot pie or chicken ala king depending on which vegs are used.
Use leftover ham and frozen peas. Good over toast or pasta. ( I hate peas but can tolerate a small amount of frozen.)
Use hard salami. I actually use this instead of the jarred beef for cheese balls and dips. I cut into small pieces then put in my small food chopper. I make a version with dill pickles instead of messing with wrapping pickles in ham and cream cheese.
The best time to buy the jar beef is around November when they usually have a display, coupons and recipe cards.
I believe mylife served on a sub! So I’m sending him an SOS.
Chow on the boat is good.
Breakfast was great, order what you want, the way you like it.
Yes you get steak and lobster, and beef wellington, fried rabbit..
Don’t think I ever saw SOS on a boat.
Breakfast lunch and dinner were great, midrats sucked, but the bread was always freshly baked.
Something my old Command Master Chief makes on a regular basis.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/236805/king-ranch-chicken-casserole/
In any case, we need to some recipes from you!
Oscar, Kilo.
WATERMELON MARGARITAS
RIMS Rub rims of 6 glasses w/ lime wedge; spin rims in saucer of sugar to coat.
METHOD blender smooth 3 1/2 c watermelon cubes, 1/2 c tequila, 2 tb sugar, 3 tb lime juice, tb Triple Sec.
Fill ea sugared glass with 1/2 cup crushed ice; 1/2 cup margarita. Garnish with lime wedges, melon balls.
That's raciss!
This little film gives a very good idea of what things are like on subs - it’s from 1986, but I doubt the human stuff, teamwork, have changed much. Tom Clancy looks very young here - it’s said that he was very impressed with the food he enjoyed on submarines.
Some interesting points are made by the British historian who says that the caliber of men and morale are far more important than machinery; and that, with the advent of the German U-Boat, many people thought that submarine warfare was immoral and underhanded. It’s about an hour long:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qt7dyhB-jg
I just watched an excellent Hollywood movie called “Enemy Below” starring Robert Mitchum and Curt Jergens and learned “Das Boot” was a total ripoff! I don’t remember any food being served in the movie but I do recommend it. Mr. Jergens steals the movie as the captain of a German sub.
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