First Class Breakfast on the RMS Titanic
Tasting History with Max Miller・23 minutes read
First-class meals aboard the Titanic were luxurious and extensive, including up to 11-course dinners and a variety of breakfast options. The menus were influenced by renowned cookbooks like Auguste Escoffier's 'Le Guide Culinaire' and Fannie Farmer's recipes, and passengers could enjoy their meals in different locations on the ship, with the À la Carte Restaurant offering an exclusive dining experience for an additional fee.
Insights
- The Titanic's first-class breakfast menus were diverse and inspired by renowned cookbooks like Auguste Escoffier's 'Le Guide Culinier' and Fannie Farmer's cookbook, featuring dishes like baked apples, smoked salmon, shirred eggs, and buckwheat cakes.
- Despite the luxury of first-class dining aboard the Titanic, tragic stories emerged from passengers like Victor Peñasco and Maria Josefa Peñasco, whose decision to board the ship against warnings led to heart-wrenching consequences, ultimately resulting in a series of unfortunate events post-sinking.
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Recent questions
What were the breakfast options aboard the Titanic?
Various breakfast options included eggs, potatoes, and bread.
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Summary
00:00
Titanic's Opulent First Class Breakfast Experience
- First class meals aboard the Titanic were opulent and plentiful, with dinner potentially consisting of up to 11 courses.
- Breakfast aboard the Titanic was less regimented than dinner but still offered a wide variety of food options.
- The first class breakfast menu included baked apples, smoked salmon, shirred eggs, buckwheat cakes with blackcurrant conserve and Oxford marmalade, and watercress for digestion.
- Recipes for Titanic meals were often based on Auguste Escoffier's cookbook 'Le Guide Culinier,' with specific instructions for baked apples and smoked salmon.
- Fannie Farmer's cookbook provided recipes for buckwheat cakes and shirred eggs, with details on ingredients and preparation.
- Fannie Farmer's buckwheat cakes were similar to modern pancakes but yeasted, requiring milk, bread crumbs, salt, yeast, and buckwheat flour.
- The first and second class breakfast menus that survived were from Thursday, April 11th, the day Titanic arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, before heading to New York.
- Passengers aboard the Titanic could enjoy breakfast in various locations, including the first class dining room, the À la Carte Restaurant, or in their staterooms.
- The À la Carte Restaurant on B Deck offered an exclusive dining experience for an additional fee, with reservations required.
- Dining in the staterooms was made possible by silver plate food warmers and hot water sleeves to keep the food warm, similar to modern insulated delivery bags.
12:24
Titanic Breakfast Options and Tragic Love Story
- Various breakfast options aboard the Titanic included eggs prepared in various ways, mashed or sauteed potatoes, and a variety of bread options like scones, cornbread, Vienna rolls, and Graham rolls.
- Vienna rolls were known as Kaisersemmel or Kaiser rolls in most places due to their design resembling the Kaiser's Crown, and they were typically small and tight buns meant for breakfast.
- Graham rolls were smaller rolls made of Graham flour, primarily used for graham crackers today.
- The Chief Baker Charles Joughin and his team baked all the bread daily aboard the Titanic.
- Accompaniments for bread included black currant conserve and Frank Cooper's Oxford marmalade, which can still be purchased today.
- Narbonne honey, a white honey from southern France, was available but very expensive, priced at around $70 for a small jar.
- The Spanish couple in First Class, Victor Peñasco and Maria Josefa Peñasco, had a fascinating story related to their journey on the Titanic.
- Victor Peñasco and Maria Josefa Peñasco boarded the Titanic against the advice of Victor's mother, who believed it was bad luck to travel by ship on a honeymoon.
- Victor Peñasco's fate after the Titanic sinking led to a tragic series of events, including the butler continuing to send postcards with fictitious stories to Victor's mother and the need for a body to be identified to allow Maria Josefa to remarry.
- Maria Josefa eventually remarried after a few years, and both she and her maid lived long and happy lives.
25:35
Historical Watercress and Baked Apple Delights
- Watercress was consumed at the end of meals historically to aid digestion due to its medicinal associations, offering an earthy green taste with a hint of spiciness, often served plain or in salads.
- The baked apple dish was highlighted as a standout, recommended for its ease of preparation and deliciousness, with a suggestion to visit tastinghistory.com for the recipe and explore Squarespace for website creation, offering tools for blogging, e-commerce, audience engagement, email campaigns, and revenue generation.
