LSG Group sends venison ragout to the ISS

Neu-Isenburg/Saarbrücken, Germany – The dishes that the LSG Group will prepare for German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and his trip to the International Space Station (ISS) planned for the end of 2021 have been chosen. As requested by the proud Saarlander, the recipes evoke a sense of home. The first menu consists of a main course and a dessert: “Geheirade”, a flour dumpling and potato dish topped with ham, and “Rostigen Rittern”, or French toast, served with vanilla sauce. On top of that, Maurer can also look forward to an appetizer and a main course: an alcohol-free potato and Riesling cream soup and venison ragout with “Hoorischen”, a type of potato dumplings from the Saarland region.

While the first menu is a surprise from TV and starred chef Cliff Hämmerle, the second was determined in a competition jointly held by the European Space Agency (ESA), Saarland Broadcasting (SR), Tourismus Zentrale Saarland and the LSG Group. The menu proposal from Christian Heinsdorf, a chef and restaurant owner from Perl-Borg, won the most online votes out of 10 total candidates.

The LSG Group now has the task of preparing the four dishes so that they can fly into space next year. First, the recipes will be optimized to meet the specific requirements of astronaut food, then cooked by LSG chefs before it is finally canned and preserved for two years by autoclaving. The steam sterilization process retains most of the vitamins and nutrients.

Jörg Hofmann, Head of Global Culinary Excellence at LSG Group, is ready for the challenges awaiting him and his team with his second space food mission: “Due to its texture, the creamy soup is a problem in zero-gravity. The breadcrumbs that coat the “Rostigen Ritter” are also likely to be problematic on the ISS. Nonetheless, we will certainly come up with a solution so that Matthias Maurer can enjoy the quality treats that the LSG Group provides and have a piece of home with him in space”.