Author: Cong Pi, Zhao Hao, Tang Qian
Publisher: Beijing United Publishing Company
Publication date: December 1, 2022
Chapter 1: The United Kingdom
Britain, located in the British Isles, once had a reputation as the "empire where the sun never sets" and the "factory of the world", dominating the world's oceans and trade, and possessing vast wealth and resources. It was also a major participant and victorious country in both World Wars. What do you think about this?
However, in the world of food and drink, Britain does not have the same respected position. The British table is always ridiculed for its short menu, too few dishes, and monotonous dishes. In addition to the populist fish and chips and exquisite British afternoon tea, ordinary people can think of only some strange ideas of British cuisine that are called "dark cuisine". Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
However, the British conquered the world and established their hegemony just by eating the century old salty beef, drinking the spicy rum, and tasting the fragrant black tea with milk, while they were also hungry in the war years. Although the menu is short, I've found that it's an indispensable page in the history of the British War Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Nelson's Blood of Inheriting Courage - Rum
All literary works and TV dramas depicting sailing adventures and maritime wars during the Age of Sail invariably mention a strong liquor - rum. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In the classic naval battle film 'Master and Commander', there is a scene where two sailors present a model of the enemy ship's hull to Captain Jack and receive a double rum ration. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
People who are not familiar with maritime history and naval traditions may think that the captain is too stingy, providing such important enemy intelligence only to receive two small cups of wine as a reward? This is completely wrong. For sailors of that era, getting double rum was a huge reward. Don't forget to share your experience!
In the long and monotonous sailing life, the happiest thing for sailors every day is not only sleeping soundly on the hammock, but also enjoying the daily ration of rum. The pleasure brought by the fragrant and stimulating liquid flowing through the throat will bring great joy and relaxation to every sailor who endures hardship and death threats. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In the three centuries since the middle of the 17th century, every ship of the British Royal Navy has maintained the tradition of distributing rum every day. With the British fleet's conquest of the four seas and repeated victories over powerful enemies, rum is almost indispensable every day. Rum is as important to the British Navy as beer is to the Germans, and vodka is to the Russians. What do you think about this?
What is the charm of rum that has been favored by the British Navy for a long time? There are actually many stories behind this What do you think about this?
Rum has a deep historical connection with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom
In the modern classification of alcoholic beverages, rum belongs to one of the eight distilled spirits. It is made from sugar juice or molasses produced during the sugarcane sugar production process, fermented and distilled, and then stored in oak barrels for at least three years. The alcohol concentration is usually between 20 and 50 degrees, with a sweet and fragrant taste. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
There are many theories about the origin of rum, among which the most common one is that it originated from the flourishing sugar industry in the Caribbean region. Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane to Cuba during his second voyage to the Americas and extensively cultivated it on Caribbean islands, forming a sizable sugar industry. What do you think about this?
Around the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century, sugar workers at that time (initially forcibly abducted local indigenous people, later mostly black slaves or poor immigrants) fermented and distilled the sugar juice or by-product molasses produced from sugarcane pressing to obtain a highly alcoholic beverage. After drinking it, it could make people excited and relieve fatigue. Later, through technological improvements, the preparation method of rum gradually formed. Don't forget to share your experience!
Due to its intoxicating aroma and comfortable taste, rum quickly became popular among sailors and sailors, especially becoming a favorite of many pirates. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
During the era of sailing warships, British naval sailors enjoyed drinking and chatting in their leisure time, which was a rare pleasure in the dull sailing life. Rum was a source of joy for them Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
As early as the 16th century, the British Navy had a daily ration of beer, with a ration of 1 gallon (approximately 4.5 liters) per person per day. At that time, beer had not undergone thorough sterilization treatment and was easily spoiled, especially in high-temperature tropical waters. Therefore, strong spirits with higher alcohol concentration and less susceptibility to spoilage were also added to the list of ship beverages. The British Navy stipulates that when beer runs out or becomes unfit for consumption due to spoilage, the daily alcohol ration can be changed to one pint (approximately 560 milliliters) of wine or half a pint (approximately 280 milliliters) of spirits. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Wine is usually consumed by officers, and the spirits allocated to sailors include whiskey, brandy, and other types. Rum, on the other hand, entered the British Navy in the mid-17th century. What do you think about this?
The connection between rum and the British Navy can be traced back to 1655, when a British fleet occupied the island of Jamaica, which, like Cuba, is famous for producing rum. The fleet steward brought rum back to the warship and distributed it to the sailors while collecting alcohol supplies on shore, and it became very popular. Since then, rum has replaced French brandy as the main variety of daily liquor ration in the British Navy, to the extent that this ration was later directly called the "Rum Ratio". Don't forget to share your experience!
Edward Vernon issued an order in 1740 requiring rum to be mixed with water, thus establishing the traditional rule of rum rationing in the British Navy Don't forget to share your experience!
Although rum effectively regulates the emotions of sailors and helps maintain morale, it also brings some troubles.
The initial allocation of strong liquor by the British Navy was to distribute undiluted pure liquor directly to sailors, allowing them to mix it with water to drink. However, the magic of rum has created a large number of greedy drinkers, who generally do not mix liquor with water and drink it alone. And some people feel that the allocated amount is too small, so they will use money to purchase or gamble to obtain quotas from others to satisfy their alcohol addiction. Some even accumulate their daily ration and take a break after getting drunk. Don't forget to share your experience!
Drinking a large amount of high alcohol can cause harm to the body and affect the health of sailors. Drunk sailors often lose control of their behavior, fight, collide with their officers, and are unable to perform their duties normally, seriously disrupting discipline and order on the warship and weakening its combat effectiveness.
Have you tried this before? Share your story!
The painting depicts Major General Nelson being shot and falling on the deck of the HMS Victorious during the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. His body was preserved in rum barrels and transported back to England What do you think about this?
In 1739, a war broke out between England and Spain,Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon was ordered to lead a fleet on an expedition to the Caribbean Sea.
In the birthplace of rum, British sailors had more opportunities to indulge in fine wine, leading to increasingly serious problems caused by alcohol abuse in the military. Finally, on August 21, 1740, Lieutenant General Vernon issued a famous order requiring that rum distributed to sailors daily must be mixed with water before consumption, with a ratio of 1:4 alcohol to water. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
This order actually restored the initial purpose of the navy's allocation of strong liquor, which was to solve the problem of drinking spoiled freshwater. Mixing water with rum for drinking has three benefits. Firstly, alcohol can kill bacteria in the water, reducing the likelihood of disease; Secondly, the aroma of wine can eliminate the foul odor of spoiled fresh water; The third reason is that diluted rum has a lower alcohol content, making it less likely to get drunk. Additionally, I've found that it's prone to spoilage when mixed with water and difficult to store, which can prevent sailors from secretly hoarding strong liquor. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In addition, Vernon also changed the daily distribution of rum. Previously, it was distributed between 11am and 12pm, but he ordered it to be distributed twice a day, from 10am to 12pm and from 4pm to 6pm. In this way, sailors can relax by drinking alcohol after completing their morning and afternoon work, with a relatively small amount of alcohol each time, and will not get drunk. Moreover, the act of hoarding strong liquor will be severely punished. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Vernon's order effectively solved the problem of alcoholism on warships, although it caused dissatisfaction among many drinkers, it was still implemented throughout the British Navy and finally became a fixed system in 1756, which was used for more than 200 years. What do you think about this?
Vernon left a special mark in the history of the British Navy for ordering the consumption of rum mixed with water, earning the nickname "Old Grog" for his love of wearing coats made of Grog rum. As a result, sailors also referred to rum mixed with water as "Grog", a term that has been passed down to this day and has become a general term for adulterated spirits. Vernon was promoted to Admiral due to his outstanding military achievements, and after retiring, he entered politics and served as a member of Congress. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
As a museum ship, the light cruiser Belfast used a model to reproduce the scene of distributing rum
The traditional tool for distributing rum in the British Navy, the "rum barrel," is equipped with glasses of different capacities
In 1940, sailors on the battleship King George V were distributing rum
On July 31, 1970, the officers and soldiers of a British frigate gathered on the deck to enjoy the final "rum ration" Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The sailors of the British Navy destroyer "York" are distributing rum, and today only on major anniversaries will the Queen of England issue orders to distribute rum to naval officers and soldiers Have you tried this before? Share your story!
