A Titanic Luncheon

Food Facts and Figures from RMS Titanic ​

"There were 2,229 passengers and crew on board when the ship set sail from England. There were menus of varying styles of food, and the provisions required for the voyage were enormous. There were thousands of pounds of meat, vegetables, fruit, and flour, thousands of bottles of alcohol, and 14,000 gallons of fresh water were needed for a trip that should have arrived in New York in seven days".
"Despite the Titanic being a British ship, foods served in first-class had more of a continental flavor as was the fashion for food at the time. In the second class and steerage, foods would have been less pretentious and more like the simple British and Irish food served at home".


How Each Class Ate
"Three classes of travel on the Titanic meant three different menus had to be served daily. Passengers in first class were by far the best fed—they received the most sophisticated dishes served in formal settings. They had paid handsomely for this privilege with their ticket costing (in some cases) eight times more than second and 25 times more than third. As was the fashion in upper-class circles in Victorian times, the food was predominantly French in style, but some of the great British stalwarts like roast sirloin beef were placed on the menu.
There was an abundance of choice at breakfast, and at dinner, there were as many as 10 courses served".
"Food was closer to home in second class. French menu selections rarely appeared on the menu, since traditional British food was preferred anyway. Curried chicken, baked fish, spring lamb, mutton, and roast turkey were common menu items, as was pudding for dessert. The night the Titanic sank, the doomed second class passengers had plum pudding, also known as Christmas pudding".
"Food served to passengers in third class was a scaled down version of what was made for second class. Passengers in steerage had little to complain about, as for many, this food was better than what they had been used to".

"One thing that was quite different was that third class passengers were not served dinner, but instead would partake in high tea, a custom that still exists today. Tea, as it is known colloquially, would always include a hot course requiring a knife and fork. For example, Irish stew was mentioned frequently on the menu. There are no surviving menus from third class on the night the Titanic sank, so it is not clear what those passengers ate that fateful evening".
 

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"Something from Merrill was found at the Titanic wreck site, what was it? What kind of beer were they drinking on the Titanic? Who was Popcorn Dan? What was he doing aboard the Titanic? Who was he going to see when the ship docked in Brooklyn, NY? . Step back in time over 100 years ago, to learn about Dan “Popcorn Dan” Coxon, It was Sunday night, April 14, 1912, one man was on his way home to Merrill aboard the world’s most incredible & ill-fated ship ever".

Last Night on the Titanic: The Popcorn Vendor (Audio Link)

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"Dan Coxon lived an interesting life. He resided in a Queen Anne house on the Wisconsin river, which people thought was haunted. He dressed in a fur-lined coat and loved to maintain a flashy appearance. But he was still a working-class man. For that reason, our culinary spotlight on him is a staple of laborers in the early 20th century (now it’s a delicacy)—Tripe and Onion Soup":

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Culinary Spotlight: Tripe and Onions​

  • 3 1/2 pounds tripe
  • 1 pig or cow trotter (foot), cut in half
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 peppercorns
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons oil and 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 6 medium-size onions, peeled but not cut
  • 6 potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 3 Tablespoons mild or medium curry powder (optional)
  • 1 cup good vegetable stock
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 Tablespoons corn flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley or 1/2 cup chopped coriander
Cut the tripe into bite-size pieces and wash very well. Clean the trotter well. Put into a large pot and cover with water. Boil for 5 minutes, throw the water off, and cover with clean water again. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and pepper and simmer for about 4 to 4ó hours. The tripe must be tender and the meat should fall off the bones. Stir now and then to prevent the tripe from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add a little water if needed.

While the tripe is simmering, add the oil and butter to a saucepan. Add the onions and potatoes. (Add the curry powder at this point, should you so wish). Sauté for ten minutes. Be careful not to burn. They must just be nicely coated. Add the stock and simmer until onions and potatoes are almost cooked. Set aside.

When the tripe is just about cooked, add the potatoes and onions and stir in. Cook for another 30 minutes. Add the milk and simmer slowly for about 15 minutes, then thicken with corn flour and water mixed to a thin paste. If serving the plain tripe, sprinkle with parsley. If serving the curried tripe, sprinkle with coriander.
 


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