← Back to Articles | Original (German)
When working on the book "Science Adventure - Explorers between the Alps, the Orient and the Arctic Ocean", the topic of food was one of the most exciting. After evaluating expedition diaries and personal memories, both the historical review and more recent research trips showed two approaches: either you take as much with you as possible, or you do exactly the opposite - you try to eat from the region. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Wer alles mitnimmt, weiß, was er hat, kann auf gewohnte Nahrung setzen, muss aber große Lasten tragen (lassen). It's different with the local diet: you travel light and rely on the local food, but what if you don't like it or there are supply problems locally?
Arctic food: polar bear steaks
During the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition (1872-1874) by Julius Payer (1842-1915) and Carl Weyprecht (1838-1881), during which Franz Joseph's Land was discovered, the men had a lot of food on board, but they certainly appreciated what the Arctic fauna had to offer. Specifically: polar bears and seals. The evidence is provided by the notes of the expedition, Payer's monograph (1876) and the diary of the engineer Otto Krisch (1845–1874). Polar bears served a dual purpose: they were welcome prey, a trophy to be proud of, and they also provided delicious meat. Hans Graf Wilczek (1837–1922), a generous patron of the expedition, had himself depicted in his autobiography in a heroic pose on the fur of a polar bear he had killed - so much for the topic of trophies.
On the other hand, polar bear steaks were a sought-after specialty. They were even given as sick food, as the sick Krisch noted in his diary: To help him recover, he was given three polar bear steaks with plums every day, the latter of course coming from his homeland. The men were always on the lookout for polar bears and recorded every kill. On August 16, 1873 it was polar bear number 24, two weeks later they were to discover Franz Joseph's Land. Needless to say, they also supplied themselves with seals; While hunting was definitely easier here, it was considered less attractive to have your photo taken with a seal. Recommended reading is Krisch's diary and Payer's magnum opus about the North Pole expedition, published in 1876.
Jan Mayen – Alken and Maggi
Things went less well in 1932/33 for the polar researchers Hanns Tollner (1903–1986), Rudolf Kanitscheider (1906–1971) and Fritz Kopf (1909–1977) during their research stay on the island of Jan Mayen. The three were on the island, which is halfway between Iceland and Greenland, for over 14 months to mark the Second International Polar Year. In addition to scientific specialist publications, there is a popular account in the book "14 Months in the Arctic" (Innsbruck, 1934), which, among other things, provides insight into their menu. The men had stocked up on local products, including canned goulash, a “few” sticks of salami and pieces of bacon cast in wax, but they miscalculated. "But back then we still lived in the belief that we would shoot seals and polar bears, so the small amount of meat didn't bother us for the time being."
But there were no polar bears or seals on the island – “misspeculation,” as they had to admit. Only birds were available to them for fresh meat. Anyone who thinks of seagulls is wrong; from the end of May 1933, eggs from auks and auks themselves were on the menu. Ultimately, the researchers concluded: "Without these birds and their eggs, the Austrian polar expedition would have been questionable." If the question about solid food were answered, the question about liquid remains open: "The most valuable juice on Jan Mayen for us was not alcohol, but Maggi's wort." This ingredient, in its signature conical brown glass bottle, was strictly rationed as an "unparalleled enhancer."
In the Himalayas
Depending on the expedition, there was also a tendency in the Hindu Kush and the Himalayas to either take as much as possible or as little as possible. First, a look at the year 1930. At that time, Günter Dyhrenfurth (1886–1975), geologist, mountaineer and Himalayan researcher, set off via Venice to Bombay (today: Mumbai) as leader of the International Himalayan Expedition (I.H.E.). His wife Hettie (1892–1972) was also in the team of ten, at times eleven participants. She was responsible for all supplies in the high camps in the mountains. Not an easy task, as the team arrived with six (!) tons of expedition material, including food. Local transportation was provided by locals. 350 porters each carried 27 kilograms, which Ms. Dyhrenfurth packed into individual carrier loads. And then there was the supply of the porters themselves, who needed one kilogram per man per day. The necessary distance had to be covered in 18 daily stages. A milkmaid's calculation results in a load capacity of 6.3 tons "just" for the porters' meals. You can read it in Hettie Dyhrenfurth's book "Memsahb im Himalaya" (Leipzig, 1931).
In the Hindu Kush
A completely different concept was pursued by the geologist Gerhard Fuchs (born 1934), who spent several weeks in the Himalayas 18 times between 1963 and 2004 for geological mapping work. It is no coincidence that it is called the “Himalayan fox” in specialist circles. In 1972 he was in Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush together with Otmar Schermann and Alois Matura. The journey takes place from their office, the Federal Geological Survey, in a VW bus. When it came to food, the expedition leader Fuchs relied on local food and cuisine. The Afghan porters and the cook were responsible for this. We shopped at the market in Kabul. Matura noted in his diary on July 10, 1972: "The porters bake bread in an original way, Gerhard goes fishing (unsuccessfully)." Of course, Fuchs was usually a successful and experienced fisherman. He remembers that expedition. "That was quite interesting: the first two or three fish - no problem at all. Then the word gets around. You throw the bait in and you see them dodge." He used dried mulberries as bait. (Thomas Hofmann, May 29, 2020)