Imperial dinner for 6 marks

In honor of the wedding of the heir to the German throne, paid receptions were held in all restaurants in the country, everyone could go there

Leisure

TASTY STORIES BY WILLIAM POKHLEBKIN

Imperial dinner for 6 marks

The 1905 revolution in Russia did not particularly frighten the West. It was believed that this was a purely Russian phenomenon, which also weakened Russia, and therefore useful for the West. That is why, in the five years following the Russian Revolution (1907-1913), no conclusions were drawn in the sense of political caution, including from the monarchical circles of the West. This is clearly seen from a comparison of the nature of court feasts - before and after 1905 - no changes occur in them. Even the massiveness of court feasts is not reduced: the number of guests, moreover, increases, sometimes to hundreds and thousands! At the German, English and French courts, the same courtly, expensive French cuisine invariably dominates.

True, not all monarchs used the culinary opportunities provided to their rank and position to the same extent. Among them were sophisticated gastronomes and gourmets, and there were also culinary ascetics, of course, very relative ones, only in comparison with food hunters. But the German monarchs, on the whole, differed from their English political rivals in that they knew how and sought to organize broad, “national”, “mass” culinary and political events.

On June 6, 1905, the wedding of the heir to the German imperial throne, Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, and the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg, Cecilia, took place. This wedding overshadowed all other world events in Germany for a while and took place not just for one day, but for a whole week.

In addition, after the wedding, the largest hotels and restaurants in Germany in all cities held paid public receptions, where some of the dishes that featured at the wedding were served. Thus, the German burghers could, as it were, join the holiday, could breathe in the atmosphere and even directly the aroma of both the festival and the dishes. Thus, purposefully and solemnly, with pomp, the “future” of the German Empire was celebrated: the beginning of the family of the future emperor, Wilhelm III.

The festivities began on June 2 at the Royal Palace in Berlin with a dinner for high-ranking royalty who arrived for the wedding: emperors, kings, grand dukes, electors, landgraves and other monarchs from all over the world, including sultans, emirs, khans. A total of 50 such guests arrived.

The next day, June 3, dinner was given for aristocrats and titled nobles: princes, marquises, counts, barons, where 250 people were already present.

On June 4, a gala reception followed with buffet-style dishes served for 500 people - representatives of high-ranking officials, the big urban bourgeoisie, bankers, landowners and generals of the army and navy.

On June 5, 100 guests who were relatives of the wedding couple were invited to a family dinner for the newlyweds.

And finally, on June 6, the wedding itself took place with a gala dinner, where 500 people were invited, i.e. 50 + 250 + 100 + 100 of the most significant selected from among the guests at the bourgeois dinner. In this way, the “unity of the German nation” was demonstrated, the unification of the nobility, bourgeoisie and generals of Germany around the imperial house of Hohenzollern.

In addition, for average officials, provincial politicians and other similar audiences, a cold table was offered for 1,770 people, on which there were 901 dishes with various snacks.

And from June 7 to June 12, paid “receptions” were held throughout the country in restaurants in all cities of Germany, where anyone who had an extra 6 marks could go. This was the price of the “imperial dinner”. In addition, each such “guest” received a luxurious menu with portraits of the imperial newlyweds and, of course, lunch, which also had a political connotation.

Germany is on the rise, she looks to the future with optimism: she will have a young leader who has created a truly German family: his wife, the queen, like him, is a true German, of ancient aristocratic blood. That is why funds were spent on the crown prince’s wedding, which was given enormous political significance... The very symbolic composition of the dinner had to say one thing: Germany will swallow its enemies in the first three “swallows” - Russia will be “for appetizer”, England will go second - “first”, and everything will be “eaten” thoroughly - “French chicken”. The entire Rhine will be German - from its sources, all the way where the Rhine salmon lives.

Very little time will pass, Europe will rise in the flames of the First World War, and completely different culinary winds will blow over the dinner tables of monarchs. But more on that in the next story.

Imperial lunch menu

1.
Caviar de Beluga: black grainy caviar
(symbol of Russia).

2.
Consommé Britannique: broth with dumplings
and greenery (symbol of England).

3.
Potage crème de valaié: chicken soup,
topped with cream (symbol of France).

4.
Salmon du Rhine boules: boiled Rhine
salmon with shrimp sauce.

5.
Filet de boeuf garni: braised beef
with early vegetables.

6.
Couisso de chevreau poivrad: chamois stew
with pepper sauce.

7.
Chicken Hamburg: chicken, fried
in pork lard with onions and potatoes with veal
sauce, lemon and green parsley.

8.
Caneton roti a la broche:
roasted duck on skewers, side dish - salad.

9.
Salad: asparagus in hollandaise sauce.

10.
Patisserie: cookies

eleven.
Cheeses

12.
Fruits *

-------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------

* French fruits were given for a special surcharge in excess of 6 marks.

Hamburg chicken

Separate the legs and thighs of the chicken (chicken), remove the skin, roll in flour, fry in a saucepan over high heat on all sides in pork fat or sunflower oil until golden brown.
Then transfer to a deep frying pan, into a new portion of pre-heated fat, add potatoes and onions cut into large pieces, fry, then add a little boiling water (no more than 1/4 cup mixed with cream or milk) and continue frying for about 15 minutes, turning over.
Thicken the juice obtained during frying with 1 teaspoon of flour, add cream, a pinch of red pepper and simmer in a saucepan, sprinkle with green parsley. Pour this sauce over each serving of chicken and potatoes. Serve a quarter of a lemon with each serving.

Photo by L. Sherstennikov and M. Steinbock. Detail of a 1908 poster by Otto Kopp

IMPERIAL DINNER FOR 6 MARKS