What Was The Final Meal Served On The Titanic?

Finish another rewatch of the iconic 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet masterpiece that is "Titanic," and find yourself in an internet rabbit-hole searching for more details about how the tragedy all played out? Admittedly, our morbid curiosity about an accident that led to the death of around 1,500 people can feel strange, or disrespectful — but it is important not to let knowledge of historical events be forgotten simply because they're uncomfortable to talk about. Specifically, it's important to remember not just the way the passengers died, but also what their lives and voyage were like. So, let's talk about perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of any sea voyage: the food. 

Because there were three classes on the Titanic, there were, correspondingly, three levels of finery when it came to sleeping arrangements and food service, which varied widely — especially between the first two classes and the third one. This means that when we ask the question, "What was the final meal served on the Titanic?," what we're really asking is a more complex one: "What was the difference in the experience of the final meals for each of the three socioeconomic groups present on board the Titanic?" And that question has quite an interesting answer.

Third-class fare

There were approximately 710 third-class citizens on board the Titanic, though only 174 reportedly survived. The ship struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on the night of April 14, 1912 while many passengers were asleep, and finally sank at around 2:20 a.m. This means that for everyone on board, an evening supper or dinner was the last meal served. Through menus and survivors' accounts, the fare served on board has been pieced together fairly well. Although simple in relation to the first-class meals, the food was still considered somewhat luxurious to the working-class passengers, many of whom were immigrants on their way to the United States to seek employment.

For third-class passengers, the heartiest meal was served at mid-day (then referred to as dinner). It consisted of roast beef, rice soup, fresh bread, boiled potatoes, and biscuits, as well as gravy, corn, fruit, and plum pudding (likely the British kind of pudding, versus the American one). Supper was then served at around 7 or 8 p.m., and offered gruel — a type of porridge —as well as biscuits and cheese, making it the final meal for third-class passengers on board Titanic.

Second-class supper

One of the things we can learn from looking at the meal menus on the Titanic is how they represent the prevailing culture and tendencies of each class and their eating habits. For example, the third-class menu was structured with a large mid-day meal in-line with the schedule of British working-class citizens, while the second-class menu was somewhat catered toward middle-class American professionals headed home. This included the oh-so-American roast turkey with cranberry sauce, as well as baked haddock, green peas, rice, potatoes, consommé tapioca, American ice cream, coffee, and more.

The 284 second-class passengers reportedly shared a galley with the first-class dining saloon, so some of the food options served to both were likely prepared together. But, without approximately six extra courses and an extensive wine menu, they were far from the over-the-top extravagance that only the Titanic's first-class passengers were privy to.

First-class finery

Some incredibly rich people were first-class passengers on the Titanic, from American businessman John Jacob Astor IV to Macy's co-owner Isidor Straus, and they were expecting the very best from the maiden voyage of the Titanic — so the very best was exactly what they received.

The last meal that first-class passengers on the Titanic ate was a multi-course meal, complete with unique wine pairings for each. A detailed menu walked diners through it all: The night began with various hors d'oeuvres and oysters before moving onto a soup course with a choice between cream of barley and consommé Olga. Next came a salmon dish served with mousseline sauce and cucumber, before guests chose their main course for the evening. Between filet mignon, chicken lyonnaise, vegetable marrow farcie (a kind of squash), lamb with mint sauce, roast duck, and beef sirloin, the options were wildly plentiful. Hopefully the portions were small, because still with that came sides like peas, carrots, and rice, as well as Parmentier (a dish made with potatoes), asparagus, foie gras (now illegal in many countries), and — yes, there's still more — roast squab (pigeon) with cress. This was interspersed with a palate-cleansing cocktail, and presumably, multiple kinds of wine.

Finally, it was time for dessert. Options were catered, this time, toward the French and British elite. These included Waldorf pudding, chocolate and vanilla eclairs, French ice cream, and peaches in chartreuse jelly. If there's one thing that's for sure, it's that the first-class menus were designed to never let its diners go hungry.

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