live_tv
Livestream Starting Soon
00
Hours
:
00
Minutes
:
00
Seconds
Up next in 10
What did people eat on Titanic? You know, before all that stuff went down?
It all very literally depended on where you sat. First-class passengers had options that allowed for an array of flavor combinations. Second- and third-class passengers had fewer choices, but no one went hungry.... Not even the iceberg.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
What did people eat on the Titanic
0:02
You know, before all that stuff went down. It all very literally depended on where you sat
0:08
First-class passengers had options that allowed for an array of flavor combinations
0:13
Second- and third-class passengers had fewer choices. But no one went hungry, not even the iceberg
0:19
So today, we're going to take a look at what the passengers on the Titanic ate
0:25
OK. Near, far, wherever you are. We believe your meal service will go on
0:37
There was a lot of ice cream on Titanic. 1,200 quarts to be exact
0:43
Wow, she really was the grandest ship ever built. But the type of ice cream varied by social class
0:49
After dinner, first class passengers were served French ice cream for dessert
0:53
while second class was given American ice cream. French ice cream was considered better because it was made with egg
1:00
which made it richer and heavier, closer to custard. Elaborate desserts in first class, like French ice cream
1:07
were overseen by Adolf Matman, listed among the crew as Iceman. Not to be confused with the Top Gun character, at least as far as we know
1:21
There were 40,000 fresh eggs aboard Titanic. Fresh eggs? How many chickens were on board
1:27
First class passengers enjoyed a multitude of egg dishes throughout the day
1:31
Fried, baked, poached, and boiled eggs were available for breakfast. And egg a la argentea, a scrambled egg dish
1:38
that included asparagus, was an option at lunch. Second class passengers were fed fried eggs
1:43
and grilled ham for breakfast, an option similar to what third class eaters were given
1:48
In third class, however, they were simply served ham and eggs, with no information on how the items were prepared
1:54
The two ingredients may have been just slopped onto a plate. like a waffle house at sea, or I guess there'd be a waffle houseboat
2:06
Fresh, salted, and dried fish constituted 15,000 pounds of the total foodstuffs on Titanic
2:12
Herring, salmon, brill, haddock, and anchovy were all served in first class
2:17
The hoitiest of hoity-toity passengers could dine on smoked salmon alongside fresh herring
2:22
and fin and haddock for breakfast. That's showing the ocean who's boss
2:27
Lunch fish choices for first class included Norwegian anchovies, plain and smoked sardines
2:33
soused herrings, and salmon mayonnaise, served buffet style. Soused herrings, also known as hammered or unemployed herrings
2:41
were prepared by soaking the fish in wine or vinegar before cooking and were served cold
2:46
Meanwhile, salmon mayonnaise is pretty much what it sounds like. At the end of the day, first class passengers ate salmon with cucumber and mousseline sauce
2:55
which is similar to hollandaise sauce, all as an early dinner course
3:00
Shrimp and oysters were also available in first class. In second class fish including Yarmouth bloaters a type of cold herring were served at breakfast and dinner For dinner second could sink their teeth into baked haddock in a sharp sauce made of brown sugar
3:15
onion, tomato paste, mustard, hot pepper, and Worcestershire. Third-class passengers had one fish choice in a day
3:23
smoked herring at breakfast, and anyone who complained about it was presumably thrown overboard
3:28
Sweet spreads like jelly, marmalade, and jam were common meal staples on Titanic
3:38
But your selection varied depending on your passenger class. Man, you gotta buy an upgrade to get jam
3:44
Sounds like Spirit Airlines. Third-class passengers had marmalade at breakfast and a sweet sauce served at dinner
3:49
while second-class diners enjoyed marmalade with additional wine jelly. In first class, along with chartreuse jelly
3:56
they could choose from black currant conserve, Narbonne honey, and Oxford marmalade at their morning meal. Oxford marmalade, Frank Cooper's
4:04
version of the traditional British spread, was made from oranges, syrup, sugar, and pectin
4:09
All of the sweet spreads would have been eaten on fresh bread, something everyone aboard Titanic could find in abundance
4:20
There were 10,000 pounds of cereal on board the Titanic. That is a lot of Captain Crunch
4:26
For breakfast and steerage, oatmeal was used to make porridge, and the evening gruel could have been made from any grain
4:32
such as rye, wheat, rice, or oats. Other cereals and grains included corn used in bread and buckwheat made into cakes
4:40
Quaker Oats were available at the first class breakfast on Titanic, alongside puffed rice, another item made by the Quaker Oats Company
4:47
Quaker really wanted in on the ground floor of Titanic. Incidentally, Walter Donald Douglas, whose father owned a cereal mill in Iowa
4:55
that later became part of Quaker Oats, was on board Titanic and served as an executive at the company
5:01
Douglas perished on Titanic after watching his wife and their maid board a lifeboat
5:06
He reportedly refused to join them, claiming that to leave the ship before all of the women and children were safe
5:11
would make him less than a man. Of course, he'd just been cooped up with them for five days
5:16
Maybe he just needed a break. Douglas was played by actor Desmond Roberts
5:20
in a brief scene in a 1958 movie about the Titanic disaster called A Night to Remember
5:25
He did not, however, make it into the James Cameron film. With 1,000 pounds of grapes on Titanic, there were plenty to go around
5:38
Fresh fruits, including hothouse grapes, were present at breakfast for first-class passengers
5:43
and at lunch and dinner for diners in second class. But of course, the way grapes were served was very different
5:49
First-class passengers were given grape scissors for the task. There were anywhere from 100 to 1,500 pairs of the specialty
5:57
dining tools aboard Titanic. Wouldn't want the asters to sprain their fingers plucking grapes
6:03
Meanwhile, second-class passengers had to pull grapes off the bunch by hand
6:08
In addition to 1,000 pounds of grapes, Titanic had 180 boxes of oranges, 50 boxes of lemons
6:14
and 50 boxes of grapefruit Evidently the juice man Jay Cordich was on board Fruit was served to passengers in first second and third class at multiple meals a day for the higher classes
6:25
With 36,000 pounds of apples on board, first class passengers were treated to baked apples in the morning
6:31
meringue apples at lunch, and applesauce at dinner with roast duckling. But if diners wanted something different
6:38
they could eat peaches in chartreuse jelly. For a fruity dessert, Titanic featured peaches, sugar, chartreuse liqueur
6:45
with gelatin alongside cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice. It may have even been served on French ice cream
6:52
Second class had fruit options at all three meals, although they were much less elaborate
6:57
Third class was given fruit at dinner, but it's unclear how it was presented
7:01
Who knows? The crew may have just chucked apples at them. Speaking of sweet treats
7:05
Titanic had a decent selection of pudding for her passengers. In first class, custard pudding
7:11
which is similar to creme brulee, was made with eggs, sugar, milk, and varying flavors, and served at lunchtime
7:17
Meanwhile, Waldorf pudding, which traditionally included fruits and nuts mixed into a vanilla pudding
7:22
was a dessert choice at dinner. Second class got tapioca pudding for lunch and plum pudding for dinner
7:28
while Steerge had to settle for just the plum pudding. But in fairness, you never really settle for pudding
7:34
Pudding is always welcome. In first class, soup was one of many courses served at dinner
7:45
In third class, however, soup or stew could serve as the primary dish
7:49
Consommé fermier and coquiliki opened lunch in first class on April 14th
7:55
the doomed ship's final day, while the soup choices were a cream of barley or consommé olga
8:00
Consommé fermier was probably a vegetable broth, because fermier means farmer in French
8:06
Unless, of course, it was farmer soup. Probably not, but maybe. Kokiliki featured leeks, chicken stock
8:13
perhaps some rice or barley, and additional seasoning. Cream of barley soup was most likely made
8:18
with beef or chicken stock, barley, diced vegetables, and lots of fresh cream
8:24
Consumé Olga was a somewhat lighter option, made out of beef stock, tomato puree, vegetables, and beef
8:30
Second-class passengers were served pea soup for lunch, while Steerage ate rice soup at mid-afternoon dinner
8:36
Isn't rice soup just wet rice? Where's your imagination, Chef Titanic? You can't have a decadent meal without plenty of starch
8:49
and Titanic had a boatload of it. Listen, you knew there was going to be a boat hunt eventually
8:54
Don't get mad. Titanic had 40 tons of potatoes on board. At breakfast, first class could choose to eat mashed
9:01
sautéed, or jacket potatoes, comparable to the choices of mashed and fried potatoes in second class
9:06
Second class could also eat American dry hash au gratin, a smothered and covered mixture of corned beef, potatoes, butter, and cheese
9:14
Third class had one potato option for breakfast, jacket potatoes, also known as baked potatoes
9:21
What kind of jacket? We don't know. Probably members only. Dinner and steerage could also include boiled potatoes with meat and various vegetables At lunch first Class again had a choice of potatoes served mashed fried or baked For dinner First Passengers ate filet mignon lily
9:38
a piece of meat served on sliced, buttered potatoes. Another potato option included chateau potatoes
9:44
oval-shaped potatoes often served with Bernais sauce. Even more spud choices, including parmentier and boiled new potatoes
9:52
were served diced and whole. You were never far from a potato on Titanic
9:57
That was their slogan, probably. Meanwhile, the wide selection of bread on Titanic
10:01
was a testament to the diversity of the ship's culinary influences and her passengers
10:06
While Titanic departed with 1,000 loaves, the kitchen crew still baked fresh bread each day
10:12
providing bread at every meal for all classes. In steerage, fresh bread and butter were offered at breakfast
10:18
as was something called Swedish bread, the exact recipe for which remains unknown
10:23
Fresh bread was served at dinner along with cabin biscuits, essentially a cracker that was served at late supper as well
10:29
At tea, steerage passengers dined on fresh bread and butter with cold meat, cheese, and pickles
10:35
Second class passengers had biscuits at lunch and dinner and soda scones, buckwheat cakes, and Vienna and gram rolls at breakfast
10:43
First class enjoyed similar bread options, with additional sultana scones and cornbread options available
10:53
One item served in steerage that didn't appear anywhere else on the ship was tripe, the lining of an animal's stomach
11:00
While the dish is typically boiled, on Titanic it was fried and served with onions
11:05
to give you a breath that rustic hot dog factory scent. Meanwhile, up in first class, lamb and mutton
11:11
were both served at breakfast. Diners in first class could also have mutton chops
11:15
grilled to order at breakfast and lunch. A dinner of lamb with mint sauce was served
11:19
to first and second class passengers on April 14th. hours before the ship plowed into the iceberg
11:25
Third-class passengers were not given lamb or mutton at any time of day
11:30
You can't serve lamb in steerage. What would the queen think? Altogether, there were 75,000 pounds of fresh meat on Titanic
11:38
That meant plenty of cuts of beef. In first class, passengers had several choices each meal
11:43
including filet mignon and sirloin of beef. For lunch, first-class passengers could enjoy roast beef
11:49
or spiced beef, with cold meats and sirloin steaks to order offered at dinner
11:54
In second class, roast beef was served with ox tongue and sausage at lunch
11:58
Nothing like meat with a side of meat, except maybe some extra meat on the side
12:03
But in steerage, the solitary beef option was roast beef and brown gravy
12:07
Meat, potatoes, soup, vegetables, and a nice plum pudding would have been more than sufficient, if not extravagant
12:13
Other meats in first class included kidneys, bacon, and ham, which was served no fewer than four ways
12:19
7,500 pounds of ham and bacon and 25,000 pounds of poultry were served on the ship
12:25
including corned beef, chicken, and turkey as popular meal choices in second class
12:30
Titanic also carried kosher meat for its diners. Hmm, maybe they should have dumped some of that meat and brought more lifeboats
12:37
Although certain cuts of beef would have made a pretty sweet raft
#Dairy & Eggs