Lufthansa: Dine like an astronaut

Space enthusiasts have something to look forward to! In July and August Lufthansa will be offering its Business Class passengers on long-haul flights departing from Germany the opportunity to experience what life is like in outer space – at least in culinary terms. Passengers will have the chance to enjoy one of the menus that Alexander Gerst and his crew will also be receiving onboard ISS as special highlights, Chicken Ragout with Mushrooms.

Earlier this year, the LSG Group, Lufthansa’s catering and hospitality expert, custom-developed and supplied the “bonus” food for German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, who started the “Horizons” mission on June 6. In addition to the “usual” space food consumed by the astronauts aboard the ISS, “bonus” meals are consumed on special occasions by the crew as a team event to foster team spirit and motivation during their six-month stay in space.

“Anything is possible” was the mantra of the LSG Group Culinary Excellence Team as they collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide the bonus dishes for the Horizons mission. With particular consideration to the unique requirements of space food, which will be consumed in zero gravity, they developed six special, innovative and delicious meals which were specifically requested by Alexander Gerst. The collection of meals includes typical dishes from the astronaut’s home region, Swabia, such as Maultaschen and Spätzle, and his preferred international dishes, such as Chicken Ragout with Mushrooms. In order to ensure that the meals fulfilled the specific health and safety requirements of the mission, the LSG Group team needed to design them to be low sodium and able to maintain a shelf life of two years.

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