Buzz
The 18th and 19th centuries witnessed a proliferation of diverse clubs. Exclusive gentleman’s clubs, such as White’s, became widespread, alongside numerous societies catering to specific interests. No matter your passion, belief, or political stance, there was a club tailored just for you.
It seemed as though people preferred not to return to their homes.
Dining clubs, however, provided a unique experience. They offered exquisite cuisine, engaging discussions, fine brandy, cigars, and, above all, privacy. Some clubs took it a step further, blending intellectual pursuits with culinary delights.
Given the eclectic and often eccentric interests of their members, these combinations weren’t always successful.
10. Ichthyophagous Club
The Ichthyophagous Club stood out as one of the most peculiar dining clubs in New York. Active from 1880 to 1887, it hosted an extravagant annual feast dedicated to consuming as many exotic sea creatures as possible. Their mission was to highlight the vast array of edible marine life that was being overlooked, which they deemed a regrettable waste.
Members of the club included fishing enthusiasts (though not fishermen, who were deemed too low-class), culinary aficionados, journalists, and authors. The inaugural dinner, covered by The New York Times, featured moonfish prepared in a Spanish style, sea robin fish, and a fresh lettuce salad.
By their third year, the menu had expanded to include dolphin steaks, breadcrumb-coated lamprey eels (complete with teeth), and croquettes made from dogfish shark. Their farewell banquet showcased 15 different sea creatures, ranging from familiar salmon to stewed terrapin.
Dolphin meat was reportedly quite unpalatable, but alligator steak was a crowd-pleaser, and starfish soup received rave reviews. The club even had its own anthem, celebrating the ocean's diversity and the courage of those willing to explore its culinary depths.
In the end, the club disbanded. Perhaps the members simply couldn’t endure the idea of consuming more unappetizing fish.
9. The Glutton Club
The Glutton Club wasn’t created for members to overindulge in large quantities of food. Instead, its purpose was to sample “exotic meats,” which sounds even more unsettling.
Under the guidance of a young Charles Darwin, the club aimed to experiment with unconventional foods. They started with birds, sampling hawk and bittern, but after encountering a particularly tough and chewy owl, they shifted their focus to other types of meat.
Darwin maintained his adventurous palate during his travels, consuming armadillo and other unidentified creatures. It appeared no animal was too unusual for him. However, during one meal, he abruptly stood up upon realizing he was eating a rare bird. He collected the remains to study them further.
8. The Bullingdon Club
The Bullingdon Club was notorious not for its cuisine but for its exclusive membership. Established in the 18th century, it admitted only wealthy Oxford undergraduates who could leverage their money and connections to evade consequences.
The dining club quickly became infamous for its extravagant banquets, excessive drinking, and outrageous conduct. Wealthy aristocrats destroyed both private and university property, mistreated the staff who served them, harassed waitresses, wrecked restaurants, and participated in strange and unlawful dining rituals.
While the club still exists today, its membership has significantly declined, partly due to the scandal involving a British prime minister’s initiation ritual. Though specifics remain unclear, the ceremony allegedly involved a pig’s mouth, an open zipper, and a certain part of the prime minister’s anatomy.
7. The Beaver Club
Established in Canada in 1785, the Beaver Club was exclusive to fur traders. Prospective members had to prove they had endured winters in the unforgiving Northwest Territories and demonstrate good character.
The club convened every two weeks, with an annual grand banquet that all members were required to attend. It operated under strict rules, mandating attendance at dinners unless a member was ill or occupied with business matters.
Members were urged to share tales of the challenges and perils they faced during their expeditions, proudly displaying their elaborate club medals and raising toasts to “the fur trade in all its forms.”
Pemmican, a blend of dried buffalo meat, berries, and fat, was served at these gatherings. While it was a survival food for voyageurs in the wild, at the club, it was presented on silver platters in an opulent dining setting.
As the evening concluded, these rugged fur traders would sit in a row on the floor, mimicking the motion of rowing a canoe while belting out hearty, masculine songs.
6. The Club
In 1764, Samuel Johnson and Joshua Reynolds established a dining club for artistic and literary gentlemen. Designed to foster excellent food and stimulating conversation, the group initially comprised fewer than a dozen like-minded individuals, all considered “good fellows.”
The club’s motto, Esto perpetua (“Let it be perpetual”), sounded grand, though its exact meaning remains a mystery.
The club gathered at the Turk’s Head Tavern in Soho, London, where members enjoyed hearty meals followed by lively discussions and drinks. As membership expanded, the founders grew increasingly displeased, particularly with the inclusion of politicians, which reportedly dampened their appetites.
5. The Explorers Club
In 1904, a group of explorers founded a club in New York dedicated to promoting adventure and conservation. Its members include trailblazers who were the first to summit Mount Everest, walk on the Moon, and explore the ocean’s deepest trenches.
The Explorers Club houses an array of peculiar artifacts, such as a “Yeti scalp” and the remains of a four-tusked elephant. Annually, the club hosts a dinner for members and guests, redefining the concept of “exotic cuisine.”
Prepared by top chefs, the meals feature unusual delicacies like tarantula and big game meat. However, in 1951, the club sparked controversy when it was revealed they had served meat from a frozen woolly mammoth discovered in Alaska.
The mammoth was reportedly found by an explorer nicknamed “Glacier Priest.” A sample of the meat, preserved in a museum, was later DNA-tested, revealing it was actually from a green sea turtle.
The Explorers Club continues to thrive today, and its annual banquet remains a tradition. However, woolly mammoth is no longer featured on the menu.
4. Princeton Eating Clubs
Princeton University is renowned for its numerous eating clubs, which still follow the traditional “Bicker” application process. The first official club, Ivy, was established in 1879.
Prospective members must complete 10 individual interviews with current members, covering a wide range of topics. Following this, the entire club, consisting of over 100 members, votes on the candidate. Admission requires a unanimous vote, making it a challenging process.
The concept of eating clubs originated when a group of affluent students, dissatisfied with the limited campus dining options, decided to organize their own meals. They rented space in Ivy Hall, employed a cook and waitress, and even purchased a billiard table for post-dinner recreation.
Today, Princeton boasts 11 eating clubs, which continue to employ the “Bicker” process to select members.
3. The Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club, formally known as the Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe, was founded in the mid-18th century by Sir Francis Dashwood (who also established the Divan Club). He acquired an old Cistercian abbey to serve as the group’s meeting place.
The abbey was perfect for Dashwood’s purposes, allowing him to mock Roman Catholics through elaborate costumes and absurd behavior. He designed the club and its rituals as a parody of the Catholic Church, with ceremonies filled with intentional pseudo-religious nonsense.
Twice annually, the club held chapter meetings. Members donned peculiar hats resembling a mix between berets and clown hats, inscribed with the phrase “Love and Friendship” on the front.
The gatherings featured lavish feasts, and members were encouraged to bring women described as “cheerful and lively.” Male participants were referred to as “monks,” while their female companions were considered their “lawful wives” for the evening.
During one event, a member smuggled a baboon dressed as a devil into the chapel, hiding it in a chest. When released during the ceremony, the frightened baboon caused chaos, leaping onto Lord Sandwich.
Believing he was being dragged to hell, Sandwich had a sudden religious awakening and confessed all his sins, much to the amusement of the other members.
In 1762, Dashwood became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and it dawned on him that the public might not share his humorous view of the club. Consequently, he disbanded The Hellfire Club and removed all traces of its existence from the abbey.
2. The Beefsteak Club
In the 18th and 19th centuries, multiple dining clubs were named Beefsteak Club. The steak was regarded as a patriotic symbol, closely tied to the liberal ideals of the Whig Party.
The first such club, established in 1705, was officially called The Sublime Society of Beef Steaks. It quickly gained popularity, attracting members from the elite, the influential, and even the royal family.
Weekly gatherings were a tradition, with members donning blue coats and buff waistcoats adorned with brass buttons inscribed with “Beef and Liberty.” The meal always featured steak, baked potatoes, and generous servings of port.
Additional Beefsteak Clubs emerged, each with unique rules and memberships. However, all shared a commitment to liberty and the celebration of beef in steak form. Although the club faded in the 19th century, it was revived in 1966 and has been active ever since.
1. The Divan Club
Founded in 1744 by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, and Sir Francis Dashwood, The Divan Club was exclusive to those who had traveled to the Ottoman Empire. The club’s name derived from the Turkish term for a council or assembly of rulers, and its purpose was to provide a forum for members to share their Eastern experiences.
Following dinner, members would raise a toast to “The Harem.”
The club existed for less than two years, likely due to its stringent membership requirements, which left few eligible to join.
