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The diet of the
Mountain Man generally consisted in large part of meat, meat and more
meat. Canned meats or vegetables were not available to the Mountain Men. Canned goods were first produced commercially in 1813 for the English military, and about twenty years latter were available in British grocery stores. Canned goods in the West were only common by the time of the California gold rush in 1849. At larger trading posts and forts dairy herds were often maintained, and milk, cheese and butter were usually available. Depending on location and climate, many forts and posts also had an ice house, where ice could be stored for refrigerating foods, or for cold drinks. In the 1700’s
voyageurs, would start before daylight, paddling for two hours before
breakfast, and would then go on without a midday meal until a big meal at
night. Where wild geese were
plentiful, the ration for a voyageur was one goose a day.
On the plains, the ration was ten pounds of fresh buffalo, or eight
pounds of moose meat. On large
rivers, three big whitefish, or one salmon would suffice per day.
If large game was scarce, eight rabbits would provide sustenance
for one man per day. It is estimated
that the men on Lewis and Clark’s expedition expended more than 6,000
calories per day. Most of
these calories were derived from protein from the meat of deer, elk, bear,
buffalo, antelope, Bighorn sheep, fish, but also, wolf, beaver, porcupine,
and during lean times included dog and horse.
During the summer along the Missouri River, they supplemented their
diet of meat with gooseberries, cherries, raspberries, grapes, plums, and
red and black currents. The
men also collected “greens” such as cress from along the river. Buffalo
comprised the main part of the diet of the Mountain Men.
Fat cow was generally the most desirable, however, poor bull was accepted in lean times.
Meat would be prepared by broiling, frying, boiling, roasting,
Boudins: Portions of the intestine of Buffalo or other large game were filled with wild onions and other herbs and spices, tied off and roasted until sizzling. Boudins were considered a delicacy and were always a favorite. But in addition to being a favorite, boudins as well as other organs such as the liver were a nutritional necessity, providing vitamins and nutrients otherwise lacking in a diet composed largely of red meat. Bear: Of this animal Rufus Sage declares that a feast of bear's liver, heart and kidneys, basted with fat was a dish that epicures might well covet. He also states that bear meat, to be tender and good must be boiled for ten hours, though a roast of bear is far from bad. Mountain Sheep: Rufus Sage describes the meat of this animal as equal in flavor to that of buffalo, being tender and sweet, and slightly similar to mutton in taste. Dog was generally not eaten by mountain men except during starving times. However, Indians considered dog a delicacy, and invariably dog found a place high on the menu at feasts and celebrations. According to Rufus Sage, "the flesh of a fat Indian dog, suitably cooked is not inferior to fresh pork; and, by placing side by side select parts of the two, it would be no easy task even for a good judge to tell the difference, by either looks or taste..." Prairie Dog: Concerning prairie dogs Rufus Sage writes, "The flesh of these animals is tender and quite palatable, and their oil superior in fineness..." For men who would consume ten or more pounds of meat per day, dining on prairie dogs couldn't have been more than a novelty appetizer. pomme
blanc (white apple):
an edible root native to prairies and mountains, Prairie Potato: According to Rufus Sage, a tuber almost equaling in size the common potato. It has a rough knotty appearance, and is somewhat oviform. When cooked it is dry and sweet tasting. This may be Arrowhead, which was once an important food source for Indians. Also known as Wapato. Flour,
Mexican corn and U.S. wheat – research
not completed. Coffee
and Tea were the preferred drinks of the Mountain Man when Red-Root: A bush, highly esteemed as a tea subsitute. According to Rufus Sage, the flavor is superior to the flavor of any of the teas imported from China. Also known as New Jersey Tea. Breads
and Biscuits - research not completed. Beaver:
Popular
knowledge maintains that roasted beaver tails were supposedly one of the delicacies of the mountain
man. Beaver tails could be as large
as 12-15 inches long, 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips and
broiled, it was said to resemble “bacon”.
(Bacon in those days must have been considerably different than
what is available in modern grocery stores). Rufus Sage reports that
beaver tail is "highly esteemed by trappers, and assimilates a
fish in taste..." If meat was in short supply, the entire carcass of the beaver is
edible, and was also favored as a delicacy by the Indians. Spices:
The Mountain Men ate most of their food without any seasoning
at all. Spices, however, were
shipped to rendezvous, and for at least limited times after rendezvous
must have been available for seasoning foods.
Spices known to have been packed to rendezvous included:
sugar; salt; pepper and allspice.
Salt for seasoning or for curing hides could also be obtained from
salt springs and salt deposits found at some localities in the western
mountains. Wild
Fruits, Berries and Vegetables at times supplemented the Mountain
Man’s diet. Osborne Russell
in his journal relates a story of an attack on two trappers by
Blackfoot Indians in a grove of wild plums.
In this story, related to Russell by Joe Meek,
“After we had got our traps set we cruised round and eat plums a while,
the best plums I ever saw is there. The
trees are loaded and breaking down to the ground with the finest kind as
large as Pheasants eggs and sweet as sugar the’l almost melt in yo mouth
no wonder them rascally Savages like that place so well.” Mountain
Cider: was made from the
digestive juices of buffalo, this drink was described by Kirk Townsend, a
naturalist traveling with Nathaniel Wyeth’s supply train for the 1834
rendezvous. “…with
his knife opened the body so as to expose to view the great stomach, and
still crawling and twisting entrails…we saw our hunter plunge his knife
into the distended paunch, from which gushed green and gelatinous juices,
and then insinuate his pan into the opening, and by depressing its edge,
strain off the water which was mingled with its contents.” Bitters: A kind of beverage common among mountaineers. It is prepared by mixing one gill of buffalo-gall with one pint of water. One needs to develop a taste for Bitters, however the drink is described by Rufus Sage in Rocky Mountain Life as very beneficial: it acts as a stimulant, restores an impaired appetite and invigorates the digestive powers, and can make sound an irritated and ulcerated stomach. Sage also considers Bitters to be one of the most useful medicines in cases of dyspepsy. High Wine: This product was not really a wine, but was rather an intermediate product in the distillation of rum. The end product was approximately 75% alcohol. High wine was usually diluted 1:1 to 1:3 with water after it had been transported to it final destination. Fatal cases of alcohol poisoning from drinking uncut high wine were not uncommon. Firewater,
Trade Whiskey,and Taos Lightning.
Alcohol was an important element in the fur trade from its origins
in the earliest 1600’s through the end of the era in the 1840’s.
Rum and brandy and then later whiskey were used by the traders,
whether they were French, English, American or Spanish.
Large profits were assured through use of alcohol prior and during
trading with the fur gathers, whether they were free trappers or Indians.
Indians were particularly susceptible to alcohol, because the Indians were
culturally unprepared for alcohol and its affects. Unsuccessful
efforts were made to deal with the problem, both by the Indians, and by
edict and law decreed by the Colonial powers and later by the U.S.
government. Alcohol was most abundant around forts and trading posts, and at rendezvous. Alcohol packed to rendezvous extremely high proof. Generally the alcohol was diluted with water at a ratio of 1:2 or 1:4. This increased the volume of the product and profits. Rufus Sage in his book, Rocky Mountain Life. records that on one occasion an Indian woman drank a cup of alcohol which was not diluted: the woman died of alcohol poisoning within a few hours. Typically voyageurs and engageés were allocated one gill of whiskey at the end of every days work. While on the hunt, alcohol was generally not available, although there always seemed to be some around for someone badly injured and requiring an anesthetic or for other medicinal purposes. Firewater:
In order to test the potency of a liquor, a mountain man, or Indian
would dash some of the liquid on the campfire.
If the flames flared up, it was determined to be the good stuff,
“fire water”. If the fire
was doused, it was determined that the liquor had been diluted with too
much creek water. Taos Lightning:
A particularly potent whiskey derived from fermented wheat.
It was originally produced by Simeon Turley and others at Arroyo Hondo in
northern New Mexico. Additional Information on alcohol and the fur trade can be found under Trade Alcohol
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drying
and when in a hurry or during starving times, might be eaten raw.
it is oval shaped and
about three and a half inches in circumference and found at a depth of
three-four inches. The interior of the root is a white pulpy
substance with a taste much like turnip. It could be eaten raw,
boiled or ground into flour. Tea could also be made from the roots
which was a stimulant and a treatment for constipation. Also known
as Sheep Sorrel, Prairie Turnip, Indian Breadroot, Indian Potato,
Teepsenee. 
available
and large quantities of both were shipped to the mountains for 