The history of royal wedding menus
Post categories: historical food,Ìýroyal wedding
| 11:06 UK time, Wednesday, 30 March 2011
So we now know , but . Royal wedding feasts, as you would imagine, have always been pretty grand affairs – reaching the peak of their extravagance as extensions of the great dining halls of the early middle ages. Animals would have been raised especially for the event – with a feast foreman keeping an eye on stocks so that the food never ran out. In addition to the hundreds of guests, the workers would have had access to food in lieu of wages, a tradition that held out until the middle of the 17th Century.
Wedding feasts are famously shows of wealth and power. Highly ornamented foods such as and hog’s heads were common on medieval tables, but perhaps the most imposing feature of any modern wedding is . Now taken to be a representation of the bride – virginal and white – the cake in this form is a recent invention. It is a composite of several traditions that date back to when a bride cake or pie was made – again, putting the woman at the centre of the occasion. Oddly, in the southern USA, a darker, stronger tasting grooms’ cake is often made .
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The tradition of the giant was in full swing when Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840 – one of their SEVERAL cakes weighed in at over 300lb, while that of the Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes Lyon in 1923 was almost nine feet high. Although the opulence of these cakes is impressive, our own Queen used her cake to reach out to the commonwealth – using ingredients sent from all over the world. She sent pieces of it all over the UK – linking her subjects to her in a rather special way. Pieces of several royal cakes can still be found in various royal collections, including a piece of Victoria’s 300lb monster!
Royal wedding feasts tend to give a nod to history, often naming dishes after family. It will be interesting to see if the young couple break from this tradition in their attempts to modernise. While the present Queen Mother started her wedding feast with consommé à la Windsor, the Queen herself ended her meal with a layered ice cream bomb ‘Princess Elizabeth’.
What I think is certain about William and Kate’s wedding menus is that they will feature food grown or produced by the various Royal estates – their own version of seasonal and ‘local’. Even though the timing is out for most of the Royal gardens to be at their productive peak, British lamb is at its best in the spring, so perhaps they will plum for that as a main course? Charles and Diana did when, in 1981, they chose a lamb mousseline as a stuffing for chicken breasts. As they also had a rich starter of fish quenelles with lobster sauce, they were probably glad of strawberries and cream for dessert.
Did you celebrate the wedding of Charles and Diana, or indeed the Queen’s wedding? If so, do you remember what you ate?
Gerard Baker is a food historian and a contributor to the Hairy Bikers programmes.
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Comment number 1.
At 30th Mar 2011, looksalot wrote:On another note, has anyone got any ideas for a Republican style meal? A possible anti-royal meal celebration. Maybe something that Cromwell, Napoleon or Lenin might have enjoyed!
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Comment number 2.
At 31st Mar 2011, Jurakitten wrote:I think you'll find that the custom of a Groom's cake is found throughout the US not only in the South. Normally, this is a chocolate sponge. Fruitcake is not the same in the US as in the UK and in general is not very popular there.
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Comment number 3.
At 31st Mar 2011, GOG16 wrote:The notion that "celebrating" Cromwell, Napoleon or Lenin is acceptable as a mark of anti-royal sentiment rather undermines the republican case. It suggests any old tyrant is preferable to a monarch. And it also betrays a rather limited knowledge of history: didn't Napoleon declare himself an Emperor? I think you'll find that Gaddafi heads a republic, as did Ceausescu....Piece of republican cake anyone?
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Comment number 4.
At 31st Mar 2011, Not a Royalist wrote:On balance, I'll go for the republican cake. There have been tyrannical monarchs as well as good and bad republicans.
I'm just glad of an extra day off!
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Comment number 5.
At 2nd Apr 2011, John Airey wrote:Not a Royalist - where's the courage of your convictions? Surely a real republican would baulk at the idea of a Bank Holiday for a Royal wedding. Come on republicans everywhere turn up to work so we can see just how many of you there really is. Not that many I reckon...
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Comment number 6.
At 15th Apr 2011, SUN22WIL wrote:LONG LIVE THE QUEEN and her heirs!
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Comment number 7.
At 15th Apr 2011, Ramona Andrews ±«Óãtv Food host wrote:Here’s a clip from the History website about the secrecy around making Charles and Diana’s wedding cake:
/history/events/prince_charles_and_lady_diana_spencers_wedding
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Comment number 8.
At 25th Apr 2011, sircharlesR wrote:I am a Canadian and a total Monarchist!
I was in grade school when a french canadian took our country away from the crown.
I can remember feeling like the rug had been pulled from under my feet.
Our country has never been the same in any way especially financially since being pulled from under the the Queen's wing.
Shame on you for not realizing and appreciating what you have!!!!!!!!!
Shame on you!!!!
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