5k menus from the New York Public Library’s Buttolph Collection (1880-1920)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Continuity vs. Change in Dining

  • Many menus from 1880–1920 feel surprisingly modern; commenters note similar overall dining experiences across time.
  • Others argue this obscures big differences in non-shared dimensions of life (health, tech, social context).
  • Historical menus with printed cards were likely middle/upper-class artifacts or for private events, not representative of all dining.

Menu Items, Trends, and Ingredients

  • Common historical dishes now rare or “foodie” items: turtle and mock turtle soup, sweetbreads, venison, mutton, tongue, green turtle, and “boiled” categories (often braises/poaches).
  • Oysters and clams frequently lead menus; one explanation is that oysters were once cheap, popular, and nutritious, later constrained by overfishing/pollution.
  • Celery appears constantly, even as a standalone appetizer and in special vases; it was once a cultivated delicacy and is reportedly the fourth most common menu item after coffee, tea, and olives.
  • Menus are overwhelmingly Euro-American; commenters note near-total absence of Asian, Mexican, Italian items compared to present-day LA.
  • Some are amused by period specifics like hot beef tea, Marmite on a fancy NYC menu, and “meaningful” ice cream flavors versus today’s more experimental combinations.

Prices and Economics

  • Initial confusion over prices (cents vs dollars) leads to shock when run through inflation calculators.
  • Some items look cheap even in 2026 dollars; others seem very expensive, likely reflecting restaurant status and captive clientele.
  • Low absolute prices create interesting margin dynamics for dishes.

Printed vs. QR-Code Menus Today

  • One commenter claims printed menus in Europe have largely been replaced by QR codes post-COVID; others strongly dispute this.
  • Consensus: QR usage is highly regional and venue-dependent; many areas still rely mostly on physical menus, though QR codes are common in some locales.

Data, Visualization, and UX

  • Strong praise for the interactive visualization and overall storytelling.
  • Also significant frustration: slow performance, mobile crashes, high CPU use, tap-to-click issues, confusing navigation, and difficulty linking individual menus.
  • The site uses a product from soot.com for the visualization; some compare it to Zegami.
  • Underlying NYPL data was manually transcribed and verified; the original “What’s on the Menu” interface is retired but data remains available.

Related Resources and Side Tangents

  • Multiple recommendations: other historical menu/restaurant blogs and NYPL’s menu datasets.
  • Some share personal collections of 19th-century menus or cookbooks and note how special-event menus were often saved.
  • A long tangent explores bar billing customs using coasters/plates/skewers in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, dim sum, and conveyor-belt sushi, including legal and cultural details.