Menus That Made History by Vincent Franklin

Have you ever wondered what the passengers on the Titanic ate for dinner or how Hillary and Tenzing celebrated their epic climb of Mount Everest? All this and more is revealed in this fascinating little book, which showcases over 2000 years of menus from all around the world. Many of these bills of fare are indulgent, as one would expect from the likes of the dining carriage on the Orient Express, whilst others are particularly austere; Captain Scott and his team’s Christmas Dinner menu might shock you.

The menus are not limited to dinners that were actually cooked and served. Some of the meals mentioned are from literary sources. You will find out what Ratty and friends from The Wind in the Willows ate at picnics and how the Cratchits of Dickens celebrated Christmas all those years ago. There’s even an opportunity to recreate the sumptuous meal from the movie Babette’s Feast*.

I was intrigued by many of the details provided throughout this book and especially so when I read about the provisions for the Coronation Banquet of George IV. At this auspicious occasion the volume of food was enormous and the menu included no less than 1200 bottles of champagne!

Other events that have made it into this book include: Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s wedding breakfast, Christmas Day at Alcatraz 1929 and Le Tour de Gaule D’Asterix (Asterix and the Banquet).

The book is full of interesting anecdotes, reproductions of beautifully crafted menus, and recipes.  

Here’s a list of some other books about the history of food held here at Dunedin Libraries:

Save me the Plums. Ruth Reichl
Tender at the Bone. Ruth Reichl
Victory in the Kitchen. Annie Gray
A History of Food in 100 Recipes. William Sitwell

* The movie Babette’s Feastis available through Beamafilm.