Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio The Glory Days of In-Flight Dining: From Smorgasbord to Baked Alaska
Aug 29, 2025
Richard Foss, a culinary historian and author, explores the rise and fall of in-flight dining, unveiling how luxurious meals transformed into today’s mediocre offerings. He shares whimsical tales of extravagant zeppelin dinners and flaming Baked Alaskas. J.M. Hirsch reminisces about his Colombian barbecue adventures, introducing a recipe for asado pork chops. The conversation mixes nostalgia with humor, discussing how airlines have leveraged food to enhance experiences over the years, reflecting on culinary evolution in the skies.
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Episode notes
Make Chunky Crumble Toppings
- Use cold butter, brown sugar, and a 2:1:1 ratio of flour to sugar to butter for crumb toppings.
- Mix by hand, avoid overworking, and add chopped nuts or oats for chunkier texture.
Food As A Status Signal
- Airlines used food as a social signal to indicate status and to please targeted passengers.
- Foss compares withholding desirable food to historical practices like the 'cold shoulder' to show status differentiation.
Dining Aboard Zeppelins
- Zeppelins offered tuxedoed waiters, extensive German wines, and leisurely multi-course meals served from a compact kitchen.
- Passengers enjoyed music and five meals a day while admiring the view, giving airship travel a luxurious aura.
