Why the royal “we” cares about this royal quiche

View on web 

How deeply does Charles care about his coronation quiche? | Terri Ciccone/Eater 

Welcome to Eater’s Weekend Special, an inside look at what our staff was buzzing about this week

This weekend, the United Kingdom is set to officially crown King Charles III. As an American of Irish descent, I should probably not be quite so interested in all the pomp and circumstance of the coronation, but I will assuredly be waking up early on Saturday morning to see the new king in his fancy new hat. 

With the coronation comes much ado about the festivities surrounding the big event, and the public can’t get enough details on what the new sovereign will eat before and after he is crowned. Earlier this year, the Royal Family announced that a quiche spiked with cheddar cheese and fava beans would be the official dish of the festivities — an interesting choice considering that eggs prices are up more than 20 percent in the United Kingdom this year, similar to what’s happening here in the U.S. 

But it’s important to remember that this is the British royal family we’re talking about here, and a simple dish of eggs and vegetables actually is pretty workaday. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, one of the most popular dishes to come from the events surrounding her coronation wasn’t an official dish, but rather coronation chicken, or poached chicken in a sauce made with mayonnaise, wine, and curry powder. It doesn’t seem like much today, but it was distinguished enough to be served at a lunch for dignitaries following the coronation. Created by Rosemary Hume and Constance Spry, who was somewhat of a celebrity florist, the dish has become a ubiquitous sandwich filling. But despite not being the official coronation dish, the chicken was made with ingredients that weren’t exactly accessible to regular people thanks to post-World War II rationing, further driving home the reminder that this was a dish for an exclusive, private event.

And that’s because regular people do not, typically, become kings. The food served at the coronation isn’t chosen because it’s actually the option that’s most in touch with the vibe of regular people; these are celebration eats for very wealthy people! And whether or not you think that the coronation of a new king of England is actually anything to celebrate — plenty of people believe that it is not — there is no denying our cultural fixation on what people in power are eating. We might think it’s weird that Charles, an avid gardener and environmentalist, is very into eating mutton, or mature sheep, but that doesn’t tamp down our interest in knowing his preferences. 

This is also true for public figures in the United States, especially celebrities and politicians. Now that we’re staring down the barrel of the upcoming 2024 election, we’ll soon be hearing about the meals that President Joe Biden — and whichever Republican nightmare decides to challenge him — eats as he’s out there stumping. And much like Charles’s quiche is a stab at relating, the same could be said for candidates who chow down on turkey legs at the Iowa State Fair in an effort to make themselves seem like regular Joes. 

Usually, those efforts fail, because no one actually believes that Charles cares about coronation quiche. And at the end of the day, we don’t care if Joe Biden eats ice cream weirdly or if Ron DeSantis scoops pudding with his fingers; we’re just grasping for anything to make us feel like the people who have power over us are actually human. And unfortunately, most of the time, we’re stuck with a bunch of mutton-eating, pudding-fingered weirdos. — Amy McCarthy

Further reading: 

• The New York Times dives deep on this year’s Coronation food, and the controversy surrounding that quiche. 
• A look into the history of Coronation eats from the BBC. 
• And, just for fun, the Wikipedia page for the Mutton Renaissance Campaign, a 2004 initiative started by then-Prince Charles to advocate for more mutton on British restaurant menus. 

If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can do so right here. 

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 11, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.