Whether you learned about it in school or got most of your history on the event from the movie, most people know the basic facts about the sinking of the Titanic. But have you ever considered the little details about the trip people traveling to New York on the RMS Titanic took that ended in such tragedy? What did they eat, for example? And just how many dinner plates were present on the ship's maiden voyage before it went down?
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What Did Passengers on the Titanic Eat?
First, let's take a look at what everyone on the British passenger ocean liner traveling from Southampton would have eaten for their last meal on the White Star Line ship before it struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. For their last dinner, first-class passengers ate in the first-class dining saloon. They reportedly were offered hors d'oeuvres and oysters for their first course, followed by consommé Olga and cream of barley for the second, according to Fine Dining Lovers.
The third course for the richest passengers seated in the dining room consisted of poached salmon with mousseline sauce and cucumbers, followed by the fourth course of filet mignons Lili, saute of chicken Lyonnaise, and vegetable marrow farci. There were apparently ten courses in all, with Waldorf pudding, peaches in chartreuse jelly, chocolate and vanilla eclairs, and French ice cream available for the last one.
The first- and second-class dining saloons shared space so the second-class passengers probably ate a lot of the same dishes as first-class passengers, but without elaborate wine pairings, according to the History Channel's website, which also added that the richer passengers were sometimes offered pâté de foie gras, too.
Titanic Plate Replica
It was the third-class passengers who received more simple fare in comparison, though it was still a pretty good dinner menu. History reported that they were given "hearty stews, vegetable soup, roast pork with sage and onions, boiled potatoes, currant buns, biscuits and freshly baked bread with plum pudding and oranges." That all still sounds great! The outlet noted that in countries like Ireland and Norway, fresh fruits and vegetables were not as available to get your hands on, so they were likely seen as a luxury on the trip.
How Many Dinner Plates Were on the Titanic?
But just how many dinner plates were actually on the Titanic for all of those passengers? Various sources report that there were likely about 12,000, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer. History.com noted that there were special rooms for the silver and china onboard, so no matter how many there were exactly, you can bet that those dinner plates were well taken care of before the ship sadly went down.
