Who wouldn’t want to attend the Academy Awards? Mingling with the stars, posing on the red carpet, possibly picking up an award… and best of all, getting to eat the sumptuous food at the Governors Ball, the Oscars’ official afterparty. Here, we take a look at the Oscars menus throughout the decades, from its beginnings in the 1920s to the current day.

Before the name 'Oscar' was even associated with the glitzy awards, there were just 270 guests at the very first Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood in May 1929. The winners had already been announced months previously so the event, which cost $5 to attend, was more of celebration than surprise. The stars were served half-broiled chicken on toast, string beans, French fries and fillets of sole sautéed in butter. Cake served with vanilla or chocolate ice cream was for dessert.

By 1942, the menu had significantly developed. Olives and celery kicked things off, before tomato bouillon with melba toasts and stuffed, boneless squab chicken with string beans and potatoes Parisienne. Dessert was followed by petits fours and coffee.

This was the last year when the ceremony was held at a banquet. It was decided that it was insensitive to hold a lavish dinner party while the country was at war. From the following year onwards, attendees of the Academy Awards ate after the ceremony, which took place in a theatre, rather than sitting down to feast during the giving of the awards.

Decades later, the menus had stepped up a gear. The menu at the Governors Ball in 1970 had a French theme: there were shrimp and crab legs in a light cream sauce, followed by contre filet 'Cordon Bleu' with sauce bordelaise, fonds d’artichauts clamart, petit pois and pommes Champs Elysées (that's basically steak in a red wine sauce with artichokes, peas and potatoes). Dessert was an ice cream bombe with chocolate sauce.

The following year, at the 43rd Academy Awards, the menu was no less lavish, with attendees enjoying prosciutto and melon to start, followed by filet of beef with sauce béarnaise, dauphinoise potatoes and hearts of palm meunière. Espresso mousse with chocolate sauce and petit fours rounded off the evening.

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At the 44th Academy Awards in 1972, the stars enjoyed pâté to start, followed by sliced roast fillet of beef, hearts of palm and mushrooms. The meal finished with pastries, mint chocolates and plenty of Champagne.

At the 45th Academy Awards, guests enjoyed a decadent spread. The starter was seafood with avocado, caviar and a Parmesan crust, followed by tournedos of beef with tomatoes and a green bean gratin. Plus, there was plenty of Champagne, fresh strawberries, coffee and chocolate mints as finishing touches.

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In 1978, the menus at the Oscars were getting ever more luxurious. At the 50th Academy Awards guests enjoyed salmon and Alaskan king crab garnished with Russian beluga caviar for starters, followed by grilled lobster tail with matchstick potatoes and artichoke hearts florentine.

At the 51st Academy Awards in 1979, it was all about comfort food. On the menu was Canadian smoked salmon with onion rings and capers on toasted bagels, followed by soufflé eggs, a medallion of beef en croûte and miniature croissants and French pastries.

The menu for the 59th Academy Awards was simple but classy, and written in French. The main was veal en croûte with asparagus, carrots and mushrooms, and the meal was finished off by a luxurious chocolate dessert and raspberry mousse.

Getting into the 1990s, it was clear the Oscars' menu had to keep impressing. In 1992, stars could choose from a variety of hors d’oeuvres, from spinach cannelloni with smoked trout to a smoked pheasant quesadilla with jalapeños and cheese. The desserts included chocolate towers filled with mousse or a milk chocolate mocha.

As the 1990s went on, the giant spreads at the Oscars included more modern American cuisine. On the menu in 1994 was a grilled lamb tenderloin with potato crisps, raspberry salsa and grilled courgette with herbed goats' cheese. Homemade chicken sausage with pepper diamonds and jalapeño jelly provided a spicier option.

If you go to the Academy Awards today, you’ll eat exquisite food prepared by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Back in 1995, he was already cooking up a storm. That year, the main courses were lamb chops or roasted salmon but the real treat was the appetisers. Options included four cheese pizza with sun-dried tomatoes, duck sausage pizza and a crisp potato galette with smoked sturgeon.

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In 1996 many old favourites were on the menu, as well as new dishes such as marinated artichokes with a white truffle vinaigrette and tempura shrimp with wasabi cream. For the main course, guests could choose from roasted Alaskan salmon with a sweet pepper fondue or grilled free-range veal medallions with a ginger and orange glaze.

Whether you love vegetarian food, seafood or meat, you would have been in foodie heaven at the 69th Academy Awards. Highlights included a marinated lobster salad, tuna tataki with a wasabi sauce and Parmesan breadsticks wrapped in prosciutto.

In 1998, there was only one official choice of main course – roasted free-range chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and French black truffles – but the appetisers included plenty of variety. Roasted aubergine with goats' cheese; prosciutto and basil focaccia; avocado sushi rolls; and smoked salmon on 'Oscar' matzo were among the most tempting.

In 1999, the menu was as lavish as ever, even featuring roasted new potatoes in gold leaf with caviar. Other appetisers included a lobster remoulade and crostini with foie gras and pears, while for the main course there was roasted salmon with a herb crust and horseradish mash.

Even at the world’s most prestigious dinner, things can still go wrong. In 2002, the electricity and gas went out while Puck was cooking for 1,500 people. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I always cook everything at the last moment, I want to do it like the restaurant does, and I had cooked probably 800 steaks – about half of it – and still had the other half to cook. It took maybe 15 minutes to get it on again, but those 15 minutes were probably the longest of my life.”

Puck had already been catering the Oscars for several years in 2003 (he’s now been at the helm for over two decades), but the format back then was very different to today’s tapas-style, lounge dining. Instead of more casual dishes circulated by waiters, the Governors Ball was still a seated affair. In 2003, the dishes were eclectic with everything from smoked salmon pizza and spicy tuna tartare to tempura shrimp and miniature crab tarts on the menu.

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At the 77th Academy Awards, there was every cuisine imaginable on the menu. Dishes ranged from mini Vietnamese spring rolls and Kobe beef burgers with gorgonzola and caramelised onions to sweet Maine lobster en croûte with black winter truffles.

With Puck creating delectable dishes behind the scenes, stars began to be served not just what was on the menu, but whatever they fancied. The chef said in 2012, celebrities made it known which foods they’d like to eat after growing familiar with popular dishes at his restaurants. Barbra Streisand reportedly asked for chicken pot pie while Tom Cruise requested steak.

2012 was also the year when the format of the meal changed from a formal sit-down dinner to a more casual affair where waiters circulated with small plates.

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As usual, Puck was the creative mastermind behind the lavish menu at the 85th Academy Awards. The standout dish was Puck’s signature blinis with smoked salmon, cut into the shape of Oscars and topped with caviar. The stars drank Patrón tequila and Thiénot Champagne, and snacked on truffle and Parmesan grissini.

In what may go down in history as the most famous meal ever eaten at the Oscars, at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014, host Ellen DeGeneres ordered 20 cheese, pepperoni, mushroom and olive pizzas for the stars to snack on at their seats. The delivery man, who was unaware he would be delivering the pizzas to the likes of Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt until he was met by DeGeneres herself, reportedly made $1,000 in tips that were collected in Pharrell Williams' giant hat.

In 2015, Puck prepared plenty of the stars' favourites – potatoes with caviar for Bradley Cooper, for example – but also served some new dishes. They included miniature lobster BLTs, latkes topped with duck pastrami and chilled pea soup shooters. The chocolate desserts were made with more than a tonne of chocolate.

Inspired by one of the nominated films, The Martian, the 2016 Academy Awards and Governors Ball took pride in being an environmentally responsible event. Everything on the menu was made with local, sustainable and organic ingredients, and there was even an edible vegetable garden on display.

The 2016 awards also included a gourmet cheese display, featuring everything from homemade pretzels with pimento cheese to five-year aged Gouda. There were also eight chefs dedicated to responding to special requests, such as gluten-free, vegan and nut-free dishes.

In February 2017, the stars at the 89th Academy Awards enjoyed a veritable feast dreamed up by Puck: gold-dusted truffled popcorn and poke, plus fresh sushi and shellfish stations.

The desserts were accompanied by small chocolate award replicas dusted with 24-carat gold, perhaps to help those who missed out on an award still feel like winners.

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Every year the Oscars afterparty dinner has become bigger and more lavish than the last. For the 90th Academy Awards, Wolfgang Puck cooked a feast of 60 different dishes for celebrities in attendance. The menu included tried and tested favourites such as Barbra Streisand’s chicken pot pie, plus new surprises like a dessert made with recently-invented Callebaut ruby pink chocolate.

To fit the casual-style dining with waiters circulating plates of food, the dishes had to be easy to eat and not messy or prone to dripping. There was caviar parfait dusted with 24-carat gold, edamame and black truffle potstickers, Wagyu sliders, smoked salmon pizzas, tiny tacos, bagel pretzel bites, cake pops, cupcakes and chocolate bonbons. Of course, drinks flowed too and as well as Francis Ford Coppola's wine, there was enough Piper-Heidsieck Champagne for guests to have a bottle each.

This was Wolfgang Puck’s 25th anniversary of designing the Governors Ball menu. The evening started with an amuse bouche crostini of compressed watermelon and citrus feta. There was also a raw bar that included everything from sea urchin with egg-less custard to scallop ceviche, plus comfort food dishes like Nashville hot fried quail.

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The desserts where equally as varied, with fun Champagne strawberry push pops and small plates of Black Forest ‘cherry’ gateaux. Puck was able to showcase a huge array of culinary inspiration and the presentation of each morsel was art in its own right.

2020 saw an extensive selection of vegan dishes, with the likes of puffed air bread, aquafaba mousse and bell pepper caviar, and baby little gem lettuce with green goddess vinaigrette. There was also a 'chef action station', with made-to-order servings of mozzarella, burrata and plant-based cheese.

The desserts played around with the idea of nostalgia, with Eton mess and an adult take on milkshakes which included lots of booze. The sweet section also included a lot of vegan options like an ube and coconut cream tart. Candy lollipops with edible gold and silver leaf added a touch of glamour to proceedings.

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