Albert I

King of Saxony

Menu dated: 17^th December 1901

Christmas time dinner at the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), Dresden, hosted by Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Carola of Saxony

Roast saddle of venison and a ragout of sweetbreads, cockscombs and truffles featured on this Christmas season menu for the King and Queen of Saxony on 17^th December 1901.

This celebratory dinner took place at the royal palace in the capital of Saxony, Dresden.

The Royal Family of Saxony and the city of Dresden are synonymous with the Stollernfest which takes place each Christmas. The festival began in the mid 1500s when local bakers offered the rulers of Saxony a 36 pound Christmas Stollern; a spiced bread-like cake flavored with crystallized fruits and nuts which was ceremoniously cut with a large knife by the King.

It is likely this menu - with its obvious Christmas decoration of an embossed branch of a fir tree with scattered specs of silver leaf – was a part of the royal festivities associated with the Stollernfest.

The menu is also embossed with the King’s personal cipher comprising of the letters A and R representing the Latin for King Albert: Albert Rex. The menu’s reverse contains an eight score music program (Musik-Folge).

This would be the last Christmas season for King Albert; he died 6 months later after 28 years on the throne.

Menu

Bouillon

Consommé

Ragout à la Toulouse

A ragoût of lamb’s sweetbreads, cockscombs,  mushrooms and truffles mixed in an allemande sauce made from cream, chicken consommé and mushrooms

Rehrücken

Roast saddle of venison

Compot, Salat

Fruit compote, Salad

Eis

Ice-Creams and Sorbets

Nachtisch

Dessert

A fondness for venison: King Albert of Saxony (far left) poses with the results of a royal hunt at his palace