Cape Town - Long gone are the days when in-flight meals offered a choice of only beef or chicken, and a vegetarian alternative. In recent years, airlines have taken in-flight cuisine for high-end travellers to new levels with food and paired wines that could rival any gourmet restaurant.
Passengers seated in either business or first class can now enjoy a selection of meals and snacks prepared by top chefs.
Some airlines have taken it a step further by bringing chefs on board to cook during the flight.
From a seven-course gourmet meal to award-winning wines and champagne, cuisine at 30 000 feet at the front of the plane has never tasted this good.
However, ensuring that the food will taste good to passengers is not an easy task as our sense of smell and taste go out of the window when cruising thousands of feet above ground.
According to a British Airways study, in early years altitude was not a problem as aircraft flew relatively low and were not pressurised.
Today, a modern jet aircraft cruises at around 35 000 feet and the cabin is pressurised to 8 000 feet.
Under these conditions most people lose about 30 percent of their ability to taste, so food can seem bland or insipid.
When you board a plane, everything from take-off to landing affects how your food tastes and smells.
Inside the cabin, passengers experience a number of environmental stressors which can affect our ability to taste or smell.
These include reduced oxygen levels as the plane gets higher and low humidity resulting in reduced moisture levels making your skin feel dry, including dry lips, mouth and nasal passages.
And noise and vibrations caused by movement in the aircraft can effect our moods and palates, the study states.
“For food to work well the flavours have to be accentuated onboard so that you still have that great taste… The strong flavours on the ground are much more subdued and in-flight we have to compensate by making sure that the seasoning is really robust,” says Christopher Cole, food and beverage manager for the airline.
“Even the colour of the food looks different as cabin lighting also dims the appearance, making food appear dull and unappetising.”
British Airways recently refreshed its menus for the long-haul route from Cape Town to London. The Cape Argus was invited to taste their Club World Menu and their new First Menu, which will be served from October.
Prepared by menu delivery and food safety executive, Andrew Seath, there was a starter of asparagus spears and quail egg served with brunoise peppers and mixed greens.
A main meal of grilled AAA Karan beef fillet with coriander jus, mash and a selection of vegetables, and a Mississippi mud pie for dessert.
To counter the effects of environmental stressors such as altitude and sensory inhibitors in aircraft cabin, using ingredients which are high in umami, a savoury flavour known as the “fifth taste”, commonly found in its salt form in foods such as seaweed, tomatoes and mackerel, ensures that the food still has flavour regardless of the altitude, explains Seath.
“Going back 20 to 30 years ago people put more salt and pepper and added more seasoning in their food.
“Nowadays people are more health-conscious and are more aware of what they are eating and the salt content.
“The food is partially cooked in the morning, chilled and not frozen, ensuring that it’s served in its fresh state,” adds Seath. “In-flight catering trends have come full circle. We started out with very fresh local ingredients and then it went towards packaged meals.
“But now we are back to using fresh ingredients that are cooked as close to departure time as possible,” says Cole.
A frequent traveller’s take on in-flight food, service
Travel, food and culture writer Ishay Govender-Ypma of the blog Food and the Fabulous is a regular traveller.
Her last excursion was a 14-week trip to three continents and 15 cities across eight countries, and she uses a variety of carriers in order to accumulate air miles.
“Domestic airlines have progressively done away with the snacks and food offerings, requesting you to pay for your meals or offering a very minimal meal service,” says Govender-Ypma
“This is understandable if you consider budget restrictions.
“On these quick flights I’d rather purchase a packet of biltong in-flight if I’m peckish than be forced to eat an insipid cheese sandwich with limp lettuce.
“My experiences on long flights have been mixed.
“Nothing amuses me more than the ‘delicious meal’ stickers one particular airline uses with abandon on its meal trays. Most often the meals are far from it. Having said that, I’ve never taken ill to date from an airline meal.
“I suppose it is stating the obvious, but the food variety and drinks offerings, not to mention the silver service and white linen, is superior on business class and first,” she says.
“I avoid the cooked breakfasts on all classes – eggs and long-haul flights make little sense.
“I’ve been to the Emirates food service plant where the entire process unfolds and I’ve a new respect for the amount of work that goes into each and every step, from prepping of ingredients to plating, refrigeration and washing up,” she explains.
Govender-Ypma flies with South African Airways, British Airways, Air France or Dutch airline KLM.
“If time allows, I try to take my own food – cucumber and carrot sticks, a sandwich or salad, chocolate and I always buy water.
“”If a glass of champagne and a nice balance of protein, veggies and carbs in some delicious preparation is on offer, as well as fresh fruit, you feel a little less grumpy and inconvenienced by all the other elements going on, not least the dry air in the cabin, the sometimes annoying seatmates, the length of time and the risks involved too,” says Govender-Ypma.
Visit www.foodandthefabulous.com to read about Govender-Ypma’s travels. – Features writer
Attendants wish every flight has ideal passenger on menu
What makes an ideal passenger?
“Someone who understands that the flight crew are there primarily for their safety and don’t compromise that at any point. Someone who understands that they might not always get what they want, and a passenger who is cheerful and pleasant, not only to the crew but to the rest of the passengers,” says a flight attendant, who is based in Dubai and asked not to be named.
But there are very few flight attendants who have not had to deal with an angry passenger, and often it’s food-related.
The flight attendant explains that there are predetermined time lines for each service, depending on the flight category and length.
“For example, we will start prepping for a breakfast service soon after take-off for a 7am flight, and lunch prep will start two-and-a-half hours before descent. Food is heated for 30 minutes and served as soon as it comes out of the oven.”
She says the standard menu has two choices and the ratio of the catering is never 100 percent per meal. For example, if it’s chicken and beef on the menu, 60 percent of the meals will be chicken and 40 percent will be beef, she explains.
“Sometimes I would start service and most people will ask for beef, and by the time I am halfway I will only be left with chicken, which annoys some passengers.
“But most or those who travel often are more educated about service and are happy to have whatever you offer them. But there will be that one person who just doesn’t understand,” she says.
The food issue has been made easier with the online pre-ordering system, and more passengers are now pre-ordering their meals, she says.
“Now and again we get some passengers who would tell us they ordered online while they didn’t. Sometimes passengers will ask us to list the ingredients in their food.
“Unfortunately, we aren’t given that information, and some passengers just don’t understand.
“Another thing is passengers who often want you to bring them the meal later.
“For quality control purposes, meals are only heated once… they don’t want a cold meal but they also don’t want to eat at the point when you serve the warm food,” she says. – Features Writer
Nontando Mposo, Cape Argus