Hardtack-biscuits

Provisioning the Invincible Spanish Armada took more than two years. One stable was the hardtack-biscuits, which could be dissolved in any kind of chowder or beefsoup.

The Royal Stanadrd was blessed in the cathedral of Lisboa on the 25th of April 1588 and sailed for England on the 30th of May. It took most of June and July before it arrived in the Channel and saw battle. The effort to procure food for the army of more than 20.000 men was enormous. One stable were hard-tack biscuits which could be made in a diverse number of ways. Because it was hard and dry, it was often dunked in water, brine, wine or some other liquid or cooked into a skillet meal. Baked hard, it would keep for years as long as it was kept dry. For long voyages, hardtack was baked four times, rather than the more common two, and prepared six months before sailing.
Here is a Spanish recipe from the 16th century made with yeast.

"For two cups of flour, you will take one cup of sugar. And to the quantity of two pounds of sugar you will add half of oil, which is very good, and as much yeast as a little bit of ground anise and the salt which is necessary. And you knead all this together with white wine. And after kneading it, you will leave it for two or three hours. And then knead it well until it has become soft again, and make your little loaves. And after making them, leave them preserved from the cold to rest three or four hours. And then cook them in your oven. And when they are cooked, take them out; and close the oven and let them rest for a half hour or an (hour). And then put them back in the oven and leave them for four or five hours".

Martínez Crespo (Ed.)Manual de mugeres en el qual se contienen muchas y diversas reçeutas muy buenas. Alicante : Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, 1999.

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