Skjoldungen crew members will eat like the Vikings
From 1 July to 4 August
The reconstruction of the cargo ship Skuldelev 6, better known as Skjoldungen, is heading for the Viking trading town of Hedeby and then the Polish town of Swinoujscie.
The voyage is expected to last 4 weeks, with the volunteer boat guild members following in the footsteps of one of the Viking Age travellers, the Anglo-Saxon Wulfstan.
Wulfstan's travelogue from around 890 was written by a close advisor to the English King Alfred the Great, based on oral accounts from Wulfstan, and describes the voyage from the then Viking trading town of Hedeby in present-day Schleswig to the Baltic countries.
The experiment
On this voyage, a handful of the crew members participate in an experiment where they have to eat the same foods as the Vikings did. The experiment will last 4 days, during which they will test their energy levels after eating the different foods that we know the Vikings brought on board. The results will be used to optimise the public education programme 'Taste of the Viking Age'.
The food that the 4 crew members will live on will be oats, dried meat, dry bread / crispbread on rye, split cod or other dried fish, apples and nuts. For breakfast they eat oatmeal and lunch consists of the remaining food items. Dinner is eaten as usual on land with the other crew members.
