Titanic Ice Cream Remembered A Century On

The story of what happened to RMS Titanic has touched millions of hearts around the world over the years and we have seen many books, movies and tv documentaries dedicated to the subject.  This weekend, as many people realise, is the 100th anniversary of the tragedy. Today it is exactly 100 years since the ship struck an iceberg at approx 11.40pm and in the early hours of tomorrow morning 15 April around 2.20am, it will be 100 years since the ship disappeared beneath the waves of the deep Atlantic Ocean.

It seems like only yesterday but it was in fact was 4 years ago this month that I wrote a blog post entitled Ice Cream Class Distinction On RMS Titanic. My family has been interested in the Titanic story for many years - 3 generations in fact - and with my passion for making ice cream I wanted to learn about the food served on Titanic and find out if ice cream had beeen on the menu. The fact that it was on both the 1st and 2nd class menus on 14 April 1912 - the last day the ship ever saw daylight - was quite a revelation. Moreover, there had been a class distinction in the ice cream served!

Just as class distinction prevailed for the ship's accommodation and, sadly, the order in which people were given access to the lifeboats, so it was with ice cream served onboard:
French Ice Cream - for 1st class passengers
American Ice Cream - for 2nd class passengers (see menu)

Image: Second-class dinner menu, RMS Titanic, 14 Apr 1912. Repro ID: F5245. ©Walter Lord Collection, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Courtesy of Royal Museums Greenwich website from whom you can order a high quality print.

Thankfully today, 100 years on from the Titanic tragedy, there are fewer social barriers in society and ice cream can be enjoyed by millions.

Thankfully today there are more safety measures in place so that, hopefully, nothing on the scale of the RMS Titanic tragedy will happen again. May the courage of those involved in the sinking always be remembered.

April 15 - Tragedy, Greatness & Ice Cream Connections

April 15 is a date synonomous with both great and tragic events in the world's history. Two notable ones at opposite ends of the scale are:

1. The sinking of the RMS Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of over 1,500 lives.

2. The birth of Leonardo da Vinci - a man who left a legacy of incomparable genuis that the world still admires 500 years after his time.

So what's the ice cream connection?

In the case of RMS Titanic, ice cream was on the menu for first and second class passengers on the last day the ship ever saw daylight - April 14 1912. Described as 'French Ice Cream' for first class diners and as 'American Ice Cream' for second class, this alone portrayed vividly the class distinction that existed at the time. Read my Titanic Ice Cream blog post from 2008 for more details and links to see scans of the menus.

In the case of Leonardo da Vinci, well as much as he was a brilliant inventor, one thing he did not come up with was a design for an ice cream maker! No, my ice cream connection with him is much simpler. I have been fortunate enough to visit Vinci in Tuscany where Leonardo's family came from and, indeed, to visit the house in Anchiano where Leonardo was born just up the hill from Vinci. It was the most beautiful sunny day and the carpet of red poppies that lined the hillside as we drove up to it was a sight I will never forget. Returning back down the hill to Vinci once more, we stopped for coffee and ice cream at a small cafe near the museum. For some reason, that ice cream tasted more delicious than any I had had for a long time and whenever I think of Leonardo's birthplace that is one of the memories that comes to mind. If you ever get the chance to go to Tuscany it is the most wonderful place - whether you like ice cream or not!