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Was the golden age of air travel really that tasty?
While meals served in today’s first and premium airline cabins can be quite fancy, they never seem as swanky as the meals featured in vintage photos from the “golden age” of air travel, when the prime rib was evidently sliced at your seat, and the lobster thermidor and caviar courses were common.
How airline food has changed through the decades
“When airlines began operating in the U.S. in the 1920s, passengers were lucky to get coffee and cold fried chicken,” Dennis Sharp, curator of aviation at the SFO Museum, said. Inflight meals reached a “zenith, particularly in first class, during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s,” he added, noting that the introduction of wide-body jets equipped with large lower-level galleys made it easier to expand the menus to include even more gourmet options.
Through airline meals at a seven-course dinner held at Loyal Legion PDX — the presecurity beer hall overlooking the airfield at Portland International Airport (PDX) — 150 curious and adventurous foodies and AvGeeks recently got a crash course in the history of aviation.
The dishes were inspired by classic, or at least notable, meals served on airplanes from 1919 through to the final flight of the Concorde in 2003. Bill Oakley, the Emmy-award-winning former “Simpsons” writer who now hosts offbeat culinary events around the country, selected the dishes.
Oakley dipped into decades of vintage airline menus and inflight offerings to choose iconic meals served in the sky, and he introduced each course with tidbits about the meal and its connection to aviation history.
“It was not a predictable menu of just first-class standards,” Oakley said. “We obviously had to have lobster and caviar, but we settled on a fun and surprising mix of things, both old and fairly new.”
Marcus Hilliker, Loyal Legion culinary director, collaborated with his team to turn Oakley’s choices into courses.
“It was really important that the dishes were historically accurate with respect to technology and the eras they represented,” Hilliker told us.
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And, of course, the courses needed to be appetizing.
Many of the most memorable airline meals were lobster-level lavish. However, “over the years, some less-than-stellar dishes have been foisted upon passengers,” he added.
Alaska Airlines joined as the night’s sponsor, and in addition to a specially brewed Jet Set beer, the drink menu for the evening was curated by Portland’s own Straightaway Cocktails.
They lined up Airmail, Arctic Service, Paper Plane and Aviation cocktails along with a bespoke cocktail for the evening — “The Greatest Martini of the 20th Century” — made with Aviation Gin and Accompani dry vermouth, both sourced from Portland.
Here is what was on the menu.
First course: Hamper sandwich duo
The first inflight meal was served — actually, sold — in 1919 on Handley-Page Transport flights between London and Paris.
“We don’t know exactly which sandwiches were served,” dinner attendee Barry Enderwick from Sandwiches of History said, “but Bill contacted a food historian and together they arrived at the evening’s selection: cucumber and cress sandwich and a pickled beef tongue sandwich both served with mayonnaise and fine herbs on a delicate Pullman loaf bread.”
Second course: Kangaroo tail soup
Australian airline Qantas served a signature kangaroo tail soup from the late 1950s and into the 1960s. “There’s a place in Portland known for its exotic meats, and we felt fortunate that we were able to source real free-range kangaroo for this dish,” Oakley said.
Third course: Cheese, beer and pretzels
In the 1960s, Mohawk Airlines offered “Gaslight Service” on flights marketed exclusively for men. Aircraft interiors resembled a Victorian setting; flight attendants dressed in 1890s-era costumes. Passengers were served beer, cheese and pretzels. Cigars could be purchased for five cents.
Fourth course: Caviar, blini, hard-boiled egg and creme fraiche
Alaska Airlines flew commercial charter flights with Golden Samovar Service from Alaska to the Soviet Union for a few years in the 1970s.
Flight attendants wore Cossack-style outfits and served Russian-themed food. A signature drink of coffee, vodka and liqueur was dispensed from the very same golden samovar (urn) that was borrowed back from Seattle’s Museum of Flight and flown down to Portland to display during dinner.
Fifth course: Lobster salad
This course was a take on Lobster Americaine, an iconic dish served by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) from 1957 to 1972.
Sixth course: Chateaubriand with truffled foie gras
The entree course for the evening was an homage to the chateaubriand that Trans World Airlines served to first-class passengers from the late 1950s to the 1970s. The premium cut of meat was often carved at a passenger’s seat from a rolling trolley.
Seventh course: Buttermilk panna cotta with berries
British Airways’ final Concorde flight flew Oct. 24, 2003, and the final dish served on that flight was a buttermilk panna cotta.
Hungry now?
Based on the success of the Portland event — which drew diners who cashed in miles to fly across the country just for the evening — Oakley is exploring other airport venues, aviation museums and even classic hotels for future aviation history dinners. His next dining event will take place in Seattle.
Menus may be tweaked to keep things surprising, but Oakley said he hopes to hold the next event at Seattle’s Museum of Flight.
