How to eat like a royal this Victoria Day long weekend: Andrew Coppolino
Modern food customs have nothing near the complexity and bulk of a royal meal 100 years ago
The Victoria Day weekend serves as the unofficial kick-off to summer, and with Saturday's royal wedding, it's time to double-down on Victorian food fare and some of its history.
Weather permitting, we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday (May 24, 1819) as the so-called "May 2-4 weekend" at camp grounds and in our backyards with friends, family, brews and barbecues.
Queen Victoria reigned 63 years and during much of her long life — she died in 1901 at age 81 — she had what might be termed a problematic relationship with food.
She was willing to try just about anything in terms of food and drink, but as a young woman, she was bothered by indigestion problems. Some said she ate too much, too quickly. When she became Queen, her doctors struggled to help her alleviate her condition.
The whole problem was exacerbated by the fact that she really loved food. She ate often and voraciously. Meals would often include multiple courses and dozens of dishes from the massive royal kitchens staffed by a number of cooks.
From smoked haddock to profiteroles
Breakfast came as a choice of at least five or six items, from porridge to breads to smoked haddock.
The royal diet was elaborate and – except for the sheer volume – it was similar to what many in aristocratic households would have eaten: A lot of protein and a lot of sweets.
There were usually both cold and hot puddings. You'd find lamb and boar (then called brawn) on the menu as well as anomalies, by today's standards, such as larded hare's kidney.
Victoria professed a love of the starchy, carbohydrate-rich potato, and the humble tuber was prepared for her in many different ways.
The Queen loved sweet things, too: ice cream, pies, tarts and French-inspired pastries such as profiteroles. Interestingly, amongst all of this food was a demand by Victoria for seasonal, local foods.
Eat like a royal
Modern food customs have nothing near the complexity and bulk of a royal meal 100 years ago; however, you can nibble on the foods this Victoria Day weekend.
You could easily nosh a few crumpets or scones with Devonshire (clotted) cream, followed by a seasonal asparagus omelette. A popular soup called Windsor Brown is a stew-like concoction with lamb or beef, vegetables and Madeira.
Of course, the classic dish that was hugely popular in the 1960s as a spectacular finish to a home dinner party was "Jubilee Cherries," which the iconic and highly influential French chef Auguste Escoffier created for Victoria's Diamond Jubilee: Whole Bing cherries, sugar, red currant jelly, kirsch and vanilla ice cream.
While Escoffier's original and simple creation did not include ice cream, Queen Victoria would certainly have approved – and asked for seconds.
Flambé it this weekend, and you're good to go as a toast to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
Jubilee Cherries
Ingredients (adapted from Ma Cuisine, Auguste Escoffier)
1 lb. dark cherries such as Bing, stones removed
2 tablespoons water
4 oz. white sugar
6 oz. red currant jelly (or similar jelly)
vanilla ice cream (optional)
2-3 oz. kirsch liqueur or crème de cassis
orange zest for garnish (optional)
Method
Remove the pits from the cherries, if needed.
Combine the cherries, water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the jelly and stir to incorporate.
Warm the liqueur.
To serve, if using ice cream, place a scoop (or two) in the bottom of a small bowl or stemmed serving glass. Spoon some cherries onto the ice cream and cover with the cooked syrup.
Douse with the liqueur and ignite at the table – carefully.
Garnish with the orange zest.