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Carbs!
This is a replica of Columbus' flagship, the Santa Maria, but the original was sure to have been stuffed with hardtack to last the journey.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Many of us have sworn them off. Repeatedly. Columbus and his men, more concerned with survival than weight control, definitely ate carbs.
Not, perhaps, the carbs we crave, though. The bread Columbus ate was "hardtack," an unleavened, hard, thick bread that could survive a long sea journey without spoiling. It's sometimes called a sea biscuit. Hardtack was twice baked to help preserve it, reducing the moisture that could breed mold.
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All sorts of preservation techniques helped make Columbus's long journey possible. You're probably more familiar with the next staple on our list.
For a commemorative meal...
Consider fresh-baked bread or Mediterranean-inspired flatbread.