This week will be the last meeting of our 2020 Summer Book Club! We'll be discussing Submerged History: Underwater Archaeology in Florida edited by Roger C. Smith and featuring chapters by some of Florida's best underwater archaeologists. The book was an obvious choice for us, providing an overview of underwater sites in the state spanning 14,000+ years.
This year was a bit different, but we are grateful to everyone who adapted to the Zoom format and made the program a success during some odd times. We look forward to the next book club, hopefully in person!
Drinks
Grog
Grog is an obvious choice to pair with a book about maritime history! Grog, as most people know, was a staple on board ships during the Age of Sail. Grog was a creation to help sailors stretch their ration of rum. Adding in sugar and lime helps the flavor, but the citrus also helps to prevent scurvy!
Recipe: https://thedrinkblog.com/grog/
India Pale Ale (IPA)
Why an IPA for our beer choice? Well, the history of the IPA has direct ties to the East India Trading Company. India did not have the climate to brew beer like they were used to in England, so they needed to find a way to transport beer and have it survive the passage. How do they do this? By over hopping the beer, and aging it like wine. This allowed the beer to survive the 6 month travel time it took to ship to India.
Click here to learn more about the history of these tasty brews.
Check your local breweries! My favorite style of IPA is New England Style, hazy, hoppy, and unfiltered.
Black Tea
This one is easy! Drink it black, with sugar, and a lemon to make the perfect "Blackwater River" colored beverage. Plus, the tannins in the tea are the same tannins that cause the rivers to turn their dark color.
Do not use river water to brew your tea.
Food
Oranges
We are in Florida, I figured orange slices are easy to find. Plus, if you aren't drinking the Grog, you need some citrus.
Smoked Fish Dip
The perfect finish after a day on the water. At least in my opinion. It has become a little bit of a tradition of mine to eat fish dip after every dive in the Keys! Plus, you might be able to find Bob's Fish Dip at your local Publix.
Hardtack
Sailors in the past wished they were snacking on our Fish Dip! Nothing sounds more appetizing than baked flour and water. If you want to eat like a typical Sailor, hardtack is a staple. For our case, you can replace the hardtack with pilot crackers or saltines (salted hardtack).
Click here to learn more about rationing on board 19th century ships.
Text by Emma Dietrich and Emily Jane Murray, FPAN staff.
