Man Recreates Airline Meals to Combat Wanderlust

Traveling is an essential part of his life, but the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic makes it impossible for him. To satisfy his wanderlust, Nik Sennhauser now recreates airline meals. He shares his favorite recipe here.

They are colorful, diverse, and look delicious - unlike many real airline meals. Since January 2021, Nik Sennhauser has been recreating airline meals. This way, he brings back a sense of normalcy during the long lockdown and travel bans in Scotland.

As a child, Nik spent a lot of time traveling. Growing up between Thailand and Austria, much of his childhood was spent at airports and on planes. That's where he discovered his passion for airline meals. 'I love airline food. Ever since I was a child, it fascinated me. It was the only place where I ate everything without question or hesitation,' he tells the travel bettercities.net.

'You shouldn't compare airline meals to regular food. The sense of taste is 30% less sensitive when flying,' explains Nik. 'What fascinates me is also everything around it.' This includes the journey each airline meal takes from production to the plane, how it looks on the plate, and what kind of dishware is used.

He tries to recreate his own airline meals as realistically as possible and present them in detail. The idea came to him on a Sunday morning when he once again longed for a breakfast like on a plane: 'I already had the dishes and tray, along with the airline trolley, as an aviation geek,' says Nik. 'I bought some items on eBay or at flea markets, others fell into my pocket during turbulence.'

Initially, he randomly plated dishes like airline meals. 'Then I had the idea to recreate airline meals that I actually received onboard.' Nik finds inspiration from past trips, which he documents on his YouTube channel. 'I look at my old pictures and videos. I decide which dishes I might be able to recreate based on whether I can actually cook them.' He researches suitable recipes either in cookbooks or online.

'From Monday to Friday, I think about what I will cook and make a shopping list. Friday evening is for shopping, and cooking happens on Saturday and Sunday,' says Nik. 'Complicated desserts like chocolate mousse, I make on Saturday.' Nik then plates the meals like on a plane and shows his creations to his followers on Instagram.

'I don't enjoy cooking at all, but it gives me a reason to engage with travel again,' Nik explains. 'I used to spend my free time looking for flight deals, researching trips, and booking them. With the pandemic, I couldn't do that anymore. Airline meals were really a way for me to rediscover the joy of traveling and flying.'

What started as a fun hobby has become a sort of love letter to airline meals. 'It's a weekly challenge for me now. Can I, or can I not, recreate the dish?'

He gladly turns to Austrian cuisine for his dishes, like those served by Austrian Airlines. On one flight, he had Spätzle (noodles) and paprika chicken. He recently recreated this and posted a before-and-after comparison. For those who want to try cooking this airline meal, Nik revealed the recipe from the cookbook 'The Good Austrian Cuisine' to the travel bettercities.net.

Mix all ingredients into a smooth dough. Bring salted water to a boil. Use a noodle sieve, dough scraper, or press to place the dough in the water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. Bring the Spätzle to a boil, drain, rinse with hot water. Melt butter, toss Spätzle in it for about three minutes, and season with salt.

Quarter the chickens, wash, remove the backbone and neck, but include for stewing or use in broth. Salt chicken pieces, quickly sear in hot oil, remove. Lightly roast onions in the remaining fat, stir in paprika powder, deglaze with water or broth.

Mix in tomato paste, lemon peel, and salt. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until tender, adjusting liquid if necessary. Remove chicken pieces, blend flour and sour cream with a whisk, quickly add to the sauce, let cook for five minutes, and stir in heavy cream. Strain the sauce, season with lemon juice. Add chicken pieces back to the sauce and serve.

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