This popular expedition stove was an essential piece of equipment for Antarctic sledging parties. Developed by the Norwegian Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), this stove allowed explorers to efficiently heat their food whilst simultaneously melting snow for water. The stove was made up of an enclosed burner with a cylindrical aluminium vessel that held two cooking pots that sat within one another, allowing the heat to pass around both. Travelling in the polar regions placed heavy demands on the body and so high energy foods were a major part of the explorers’ diets. The main meal of the day was often ‘Hoosh’- a mixture of ground biscuits and pemmican (dried beef and beef fat flavoured with currants) accompanied by tea at lunch time and hot chocolate for breakfast and dinner.
