The Siege of Jerusalem took place in 70 AD. Trapped within the walls and cut off from supplies, Jewish defenders resorted to eating the leather from their shoes, shields and other leather items. This probably wasn’t the first time forces had resorted to eating leather, but it definitely wasn’t the last.
In 1559, the crew of Spanish conquistador Tristan de Luna expedition was sent to create a settlement on the Gulf Coast. A hurricane destroyed much of the fleet and supplies leaving the crew without adequate food. Making their way inland along the Alabama River, they continued to struggle for adequate supplies. They managed to find some herbs and roots, but resorted to boiling and consuming their leather equipment.
Captain Henry Morgan (yes, the guy the rum caricature is based on), became one of the most successful privateers. In the 1660s, he was empowered by the British Government to attack and raid the Spanish in South America. By 1669, he was the Commander-in-chief of all Jamaican forces, with 36 ships and some 1800 men under his command. It wasn’t always smooth sailing (pardon the pun) for the captain. To take the city of Panama, crews has to traverse through the jungle and were met with resistance. Due to dry weather, boats ran aground and forced crews to carry on by foot. As the result of delays, food supplies ran short and none could be found. Morgan had planned to feed his army with food captured from the Spanish, and forage for the rest. However, the provisions they were able to gather were too little for the size of his army. At Torno Caballos, crews were reduced to eating leaves, tree bark, and leather.
In 1759, the cargo sloop Dolphin was headed from the Canary Islands to New York. A few days in, they encountered severe storms, lost their bearings and suffered damage. The crew spent the next six months adrift in the mid-Atlantic. They initially only had provisions for six weeks! This is where it gets a bit nasty. In their state of total desperation and emaciation, the crew resorted to eating any dogs and cats on board, followed by their shoes. They then resorted to cannibalism. The captain was able to avoid more talk of cannibalism when he discovered a pair of leather shorts in his cabin. They were cut into squares and rationed amongst the crew. It is said they helped the crew survive another 20 days.
In 1821, the crew of Captain Sir John Franklin became trapped in North-West Passage when their ships became icebound. On previous Arctic expeditions, Franklin’s crew were reduced to eating their clothing leather to survive. Franklin was nicknamed “the man who ate his boots” back in England. The 1821 expedition had set off with enough food for three years. A good portion of the food was canned preserves, which was relatively new technology at the time. The contract for the canned goods had been awarded very shortly before departure, which may explain why some cans were improperly sealed and contaminated. Evidence of cannibalism has been found amongst the bodies of the crew.
These are just a few of the famous and recorded instances. There are no doubt untold stories of times of hardship, scarcity and starvation during which people have had to resort to eating things like leather in order to survive. I in no way want to make light of hunger and starvation – there are many people who go hungry in today’s world. I’m looking at this from a historical perspective in which people (men) driven by greed and glory failed to prepare adequately for their conquests. In some cases, no amount of preparation was any match for what nature had in store. Was it worth it fellas?
If it came to it, untanned raw hide would be much preferable since it would not contain chemicals. But if you are eating leather, maybe that is the least of your worries! In order to make leather chewable, it would have to be soaked, boiled, and pounded. The collagen (fibrous protein) in leather may offer some nutrients to lessen hunger.
Do I have to say it? Don’t eat leather! Especially because most leather is chrome-tanned today, and therefore contains toxic chemicals unfit for ingestion. If you are still curious and want to learn more, check out this video from Tasting History.
It is possible after reading this, you may feel a bit different about the office pizza party so often used to raise morale. Shit leadership is shit leadership, but at least they aren’t serving up leather.