Berries and bears. On Johann Karl Ehrenfried Kegel's food supplies during his voyages in Kamchatka, 1841-1847

Journeys through the Kamchatka peninsula in the early XIXth century presented the German agronomist Johann Karl Ehrenfried Kegel (1784-1863) with great challenges. Among the most crucial was the securing of sufficient food supplies. Based on Kegel’s travel journals, this article examines how he organized his provisions and which resources and infrastructure he made use of. It concludes that, depending on the circumstances, Kegel either drew on local communities’ stocks, relied on goods imported by merchant ships, or gathered and hunted himself.