Continental Elegance at Sea: A 1949 First-Class Breakfast Aboard the SS Ile de France

📌 Step aboard the SS Ile de France in October 1949 and explore a luxurious first-class breakfast menu featuring kippers, Spanish-style omelets, and vintage cereals like Force and Post Toasties. A culinary time capsule of French Line sophistication.

Front Cover, Breakfast Menu, First on the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line, October 1949. | GGA Image ID # 15adc9e4f6

Breakfast Aboard the SS Ile de France, October 1949

Ah, bonjour, madame or monsieur! Allow me to walk you through this morning’s splendid first-class breakfast offerings, just as you might’ve experienced aboard the elegant SS Ile de France in the autumn of 1949. This is not merely a menu—it is a culinary voyage across continents, an intersection of French sophistication and international flair.

🥇 Featured Entrees

While this menu offers an impressive selection, two entrees likely served as the featured stars of the morning:

Broiled Kipper à l’Anglaise

– A breakfast classic beloved in British tradition. This smoked herring is served broiled, often with a pat of butter and perhaps lemon on the side. A bold, savory choice and likely a highlight for those with European tastes.

Omelet à l’Espagnole with Chicken Liver

– A truly Continental creation. This Spanish-style omelet with the earthy richness of chicken liver stands out as both adventurous and indulgent—perfect for those wanting something beyond the ordinary.

Vintage Breakfast Menu from October 1949 on board the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line featured Broiled Kipper à l'Anglaise, Omelet - with Cheese - à l'Espagnole with Chicken Liver, and Poached Haddock Brown Butter.

Fruit

• Honey Dew
• Grapefruit
• Red Raisin
• Orange
• Pear
• White Raisin
• Bananas
• Apple

Jams

• Strawberries
• Apricots
• Plums
• Cherries
• Honey
• Reines-Claude
• Goyaves
• Orange Marmalade

Marmalades

• Stewed Peaches
• Plums
• Apricots
• Cherries

Fruit Juice

• Fresh Pamplemousse
• Fresh Orange
• Pineapple
• Tomato

Soup

• Onion Soup
• Soup with Cheese
• Consommé in Cup

Cereals

• Oat Meal
• Hominy
• Cream of Wheat
• Corn Flakes
• All Bran
• Shredded Wheat
• Grape Nuts
• Puffed Rice
• Post Toasties
• Rice Crispie
• Puffed Wheal

Fish

• Broiled Kipper à l'Anglaise
• Poached Haddock Brown Butter
• Salted Mackerel Maître d'Hôtel

Eggs

• Boiled Eggs - Shirred - with Bacon - with Chipolatas with Ham
• Miroir - Fried - Scrambled - with Asparagus Tips
• Poached on Toast
• Omelet - with Cheese - à l'Espagnole with Chicken Liver

From the Grill

• Broiled Ham
• Broiled Bacon
• Small Sausages
• Steak Minute
• Lamb Chops
• Calfs Liver with Bacon

Cold Meat

• York Ham
• Virginia Ham
• Cold Meat

Potatoes

• Boiled Potatoes
• Jacket Potatoes
• Lyonnaise Potatoes

Bread - Cake etc.

• Buttered Toasts - Melba - Rolls - Rye-Krisp Crackers - Brioches - Croissants - Butter

Infusions

• French Coffee - Sanka Coffee - American Coffee - Chocolate Cocoa - Ovaltine
• Ceylon Tea - Orange Pekoe Linden Tea - Mint - Camomile - Vervain
• Fresh Milk - Cream - Yaourt

Menu Items, Breakfast Menu, First on the SS Ile de France of the CGT French Line, October 1949. GGA Image ID # 15ae182b8c

✨ Special & Interesting Offerings

Poached Haddock Brown Butter: A refined option, served delicately with nutty brown butter—a classic French technique.

Salted Mackerel Maître d’Hôtel: Served with a bright parsley-lemon butter sauce. Likely strong in flavor, for connoisseurs of salt-cured fish.

Steak Minute: A thin-cut steak, quickly seared—a luxurious touch for breakfast.

Calf’s Liver with Bacon: Not for the faint of heart, but a French favorite for those who appreciate robust, iron-rich dishes.

🥣 Cereals & Brand-Name Curiosities

Our cereal selection reads like a roll call of postwar American and British pantry staples—though some names may now be echoes of the past:

Force Cereal: One of the first ready-to-eat wheat flake cereals (introduced in 1901), this brand had largely disappeared by the late 20th century.

Post Toasties: A Kellogg’s rival from Postum Cereal Company (now Post Consumer Brands), this cornflake variety has been discontinued.

Puffed Wheal: Likely a typo for Puffed Wheat, a staple of early breakfast innovation.

Ovaltine & Sanka Coffee: Iconic drink brands; Ovaltine is a malted milk supplement, while Sanka was a pioneering decaffeinated coffee brand.

🇫🇷 Unusual or Confusing Items for Americans (1949)

A typical American diner in 1949 might’ve raised an eyebrow at a few continental offerings:

Broiled Kipper à l’Anglaise: Smoked herring is not typically found on U.S. breakfast tables.

Omelet à l’Espagnole with Chicken Liver: Chicken liver in an omelet? A surprise for the American palate, more familiar with cheese or ham.

Miroir Eggs: A rare term—this likely refers to sunny-side-up eggs cooked gently until the whites are just set, with a glossy, mirror-like yolk.

Yaourt: Simply French for yogurt, which was not yet common in the American diet in the 1940s.

Pamplemousse Juice: That’s fresh grapefruit juice, for the uninitiated.

🍞 Baked Goods Worth a Mention

Brioches and Croissants: These buttery French pastries were likely a highlight and a treat for American passengers unfamiliar with authentic versions.

Rye-Krisp Crackers: A now-defunct Scandinavian-style crispbread, more often served with cold meats or cheeses.

🌿 Tea & Herbal Infusions

A surprisingly robust list of teas includes not only traditional black teas (Ceylon, Orange Pekoe) but also herbal infusions like Linden, Camomile, Mint, and Vervain (verbena)—the latter known for its calming properties. Not standard for most U.S. coffee drinkers in 1949, but deeply appreciated by European guests.

💡 Would you care for a bit of grapefruit juice while we continue our voyage through culinary history? Or perhaps a plate of poached haddock with brown butter to sample the flavors firsthand? 🍊🐟