Sailing—and making history—on the cusp of Prohibition, the Titanic defined drinking and dining styles of the Edwardian era. Societal lines were distinctly drawn as never before. Laden with never-before-experienced luxuries in all three classes, the Titanic set an unprecedented standard and created a time capsule that continues to draw intense interest even 110 years later.
Veronica Hinke has curated a culinary narrative that informs and provides new and thrilling insights on what passengers and crew experienced. The Last Night on the Titanic is based on carefully researched and studied historic news articles, menus, and books, as well as dozens of intimate interviews with experts and family members of passengers and crew. Recipes related to moving stories of tragedy and survival are interspersed throughout and easy for readers to make at home, including:
· Recipes for English spring pea soufflé, apple meringue, and more mouthwatering Titanic foods
· Drink recipes from the hotels that first class passenger John Jacob Astor IV established that still carry on today—including the original martini
· True and accurate accounts of the real Margaret “Unsinkable Molly” Brown
· Letters from passengers that were received days after the sinking, including one to legendary journalist HV Kaltenborn.
· True stories from his family members about what really happened to Chief Baker Charles Joughin
“We all think about what our last meal would be. On her maiden voyage, guests on the world’s most famous passenger ship, the RMS Titanic, were dining on the finest foods prepared by the best French chefs and toasting with the best champagne, not knowing that it would be their last meal. Veronica Hinke has taken a story that we all know so well and interwoven delicious recipes that, while historic and old, are classic and worthy of any modern-day table. She has unearthed a vibrant culinary subtext that often left me breathless and dreamy-eyed. She skillfully captures the magical flavor of a fascinating era in our history. Two spatulas raised in adulation.”
—Chef Art Smith, former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey
“A rich and fascinating addition to Titanic literature. If a book can be compared to a soft, warm sweater, that’s exactly how I’d describe Veronica Hinke’s The Last Night on the Titanic. The reader will find the text on each page purled with anecdotes and personal details about the luxury liner’s passengers and crew and want to snuggle deeper into each story and recipe.”
—Rick Archbold and Dana McCauley, co-authors, Last Dinner on the Titanic
“Congratulations on a well-researched book!” —Yvonne Hume, Great-niece of Titanic First Violinist John (“Jock”) Hume