Ship Food: Sea Cooks

Sea cooks in working vessels in earlier years could be young boys, especially on small fishing or coasting vessels. In naval vessels, a disabled seaman sometimes was given the berth; he was still fit for service if not for clambering in rigging or manning guns. In larger American merchant and whaling vessels, particularly as the nineteenth century wore on, the cook was most often a black or Asian man, hardly ever trained at cookery. On European vessels the cook was more likely to be a white male. The steward, or stewards, similarly, were often black or Asian, although occasionally women served. They worked in the cabin, serving the captain, first officers, and passengers, and saw to the finer points of cookery, often including bread baking and making whatever desserts were required.