Yesterday we asked, what does “chewing the fat” mean and where did the term originate?

Now commonly used to refer to a lengthy discussion to solve a problem, chewing the fat, has its origins in the sailing word.

“God made the vittles, but the devil made the cook,” was a popular saying used by seafaring men in the 19th century when salted beef was staple diet aboard ships.

In the days of pre-refrigeration, when meat was preserved by salting it a staple of a sailor’s ration was salted beef and pork. As efficient as salting was, it actually rendered the meat virtually inedible unless it was chewed over a long period of time. Men often chewed one chunk for hours, just as it were chewing gum and referred to this practice as “chewing the fat.”

What this has to do with today’s interpretation of the phrase is a puzzle to us, unless talking with your mouth full for a couple of hours was not only acceptable back then but almost expected!