SS Lahn Luncheon Menu – 20 June 1900: A Midday Meal Aboard a North German Lloyd Liner

The Front Side of a Vintage Luncheon Menu Card with an Unidentified Illustration That Appears to Look Like a Scene from Gibraltar, for Wednesday, 20 June 1900, the Eastbound Voyage of the SS Lahn of the North German Lloyd. The menu for an Unstated Class, featured Codfish and Roast Beef. It is written in German and English. GGA Image ID # 1a26b15d0d

🛳️ Dining Aboard the SS Lahn – A Midday Review from 20 June 1900

🍽️ “Luncheon Across the Atlantic: Seafaring Simplicity Meets European Elegance”

🧭 Menu Overview & Historical Dining Context

This bilingual Luncheon Menu (German/English) from 20 June 1900, on an eastbound voyage of the SS Lahn operated by North German Lloyd, offers a well-balanced selection of classic late 19th-century fare, suited to midday appetites. Though the class is unstated, the presence of codfish with butter sauce, roast beef with French-style herb sauce, a variety of desserts, and printed bilingual formatting all suggest this menu likely served Second Cabin passengers—a tier designed for middle-class travelers who expected a respectable dining experience without First-Class opulence.

Menu Items in English

• Bean Soup
• Codfish
• Butter Sauce
• Roast Beef
• Sauce aux fines herbes (Fine Herb Sauce)
• Roast Veal
• Apricots
• Salad
• Ice Cream
• Mixed Pastry (Assorted Pastries)
• Fruit (Assorted Fruit)

Menu Items in German

• Bohnen-Suppe
• Kabeljau
• Butter-Sauce
• Rostbraten
• Feine Krauter-Sauce
• Perlbohnen
• Kalbsbraten
• Apricosen
• Salat
• Rahmeis
• Gemischtes Backwerk
• Obst.

Menu Information

• Number of Pages: 1 (Back side has Post Card imprinting - unused)
• Printing: Wilh Jontzen, Bremen
• Language(s): German, English
• Dimensions: 13.9 x 20.6 cm

🍴 Waiter's Perspective on the 20 June 1900 Luncheon Menu

“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to guide you through our noon selections today aboard the SS Lahn. You’re in for a solid and satisfying continental-style meal—just right for a relaxing sea day.” 🧑‍🍳🌊

🍽️ Likely Featured Entrées (Two Star Dishes)

Codfish with Butter Sauce (Kabeljau mit Butter-Sauce)

🐟 A mild, flaky white fish—poached or lightly baked—and finished with a rich drawn butter sauce, possibly accented with lemon or parsley. Cod was a popular choice in transatlantic menus due to its familiarity, availability, and gentle flavor, especially fitting for a lighter midday entrée. Ideal for those observing dietary restrictions or simply seeking a lighter plate.

Roast Beef with Sauce aux fines herbes

🥩 This hearty dish pairs a well-seasoned roast beef cut (likely rib or sirloin) with a French “fine herb” sauce, made from chopped parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon in a light, creamy base. The blend of French refinement and German robustness speaks to the cosmopolitan palate of the Second Cabin traveler. It’s comfort food with an upscale twist.

🥗 Special Side Dishes and Dessert Highlights

Bean Soup (Bohnensuppe) 🫘

Likely a rustic, thick soup made with white beans, perhaps flavored with smoked pork or stock. This was a common, filling starter in European menus, especially for passengers needing extra warmth and calories.

Roast Veal (Kalbsbraten)

A luxurious alternative main course. The veal would have been tender and subtly seasoned—appealing to travelers with lighter appetites or seeking variety beyond beef.

Perlbohnen (likely misprinted or omitted in English)

This term refers to French-style string beans or "pearl beans", a tender green vegetable often sautéed or boiled and served with butter—commonly found in European kitchens.

Salad 🥬

Likely a simple vinegar-dressed green salad, or possibly a German-style cucumber or potato salad, offered as a crisp counterpoint to the heavier meats.

🍨 Dessert Course – Sweet Finishes at Sea

Ice Cream (Rahmeis) 🍦

A notable luxury in 1900! Ice cream aboard ship was a rare treat requiring onboard refrigeration or ice storage, marking this menu as upscale. It would be served in small scoops, perhaps vanilla or fruit-flavored.

Mixed Pastry (Gemischtes Backwerk) 🥐

Assorted continental pastries, possibly strudel, sponge cake, or petit fours. These provided elegance and variety—hallmarks of the Norddeutscher Lloyd dining experience.

Apricots & Assorted Fruit 🍑🍎

Likely fresh or stewed apricots and a plate of seasonal fruit. In 1900, these items were considered both refreshing and refined, ideal for settling the stomach before a promenade on deck.

🧩 Unfamiliar Terms and Notable Highlights (Explained for 1900s Americans)

“Sauce aux fines herbes” 🌿

A classic French culinary staple—this blend of delicate herbs in a cream or butter sauce would be unfamiliar to many Americans, especially outside major East Coast cities. It added sophistication to an otherwise plain roast.

Perlbohnen

Not named in the English menu but appears in the German section. Likely French green beans or "haricots verts"—tender and elegantly presented, but not a household name in 1900s America.

Butter Sauce on Fish

While now familiar, combining hot melted butter with poached fish may have surprised diners used to breaded or fried preparations.

🖼️ Engaging Content and Imagery

The menu features a striking illustration, possibly of Gibraltar, reflecting the romanticism of world travel. Like many menus of the era, this piece doubled as a souvenir postcard, reinforcing how meals at sea were part of a curated cultural experience.

🎓 Relevance for Educators, Students, and Historians

Educators can use this menu as a primary source to explore maritime food history, class structures aboard ship, and culinary influences during the turn of the 20th century.

Genealogists can interpret meal quality as an indicator of their ancestor's travel class, affording insights into social status and travel experience.

Historians of Travel & Hospitality will note the blend of continental European dining traditions with emerging American expectations, all within the constraints of shipboard logistics.