DECONSTRUCT
it was so thoroughly assimilated into the French repertoire that the great chef Auguste Escoffier considered it worthy of inclusion in his 1903 Guide Culinaire; only a miniature cheese-flavoured variety appears in the much abridged 1907 English translation, however. Despite these changes, purists in Lorraine
insist a real quiche is only ever filled with three things: bacon, eggs and creme fraiche, which rules out the broad bean and cheese version chosen by King Charles and Queen Camilla as their official coronation dish. That’s more of a savoury tart, says Évelyne Muller- Dervaux, Grand Master of the Confrérie de la Quiche Lorraine (the Brotherhood of Quiche Lorraine). Fellow brotherhood member Laurent Miltgen-Delinchamp told The Times last summer that even in France the term ‘quiche’ is widely misused, and ‘frankly it shocks me less when Anglo-Saxons do that than when the French do it’. Unfortunately, Laurent should be used to
it by now, because, although the British food writer Elizabeth David declared she found cheese made the dish rather ‘coarse and heavy’, everyone from the late, legendary French chef Paul Bocuse to Gordon Ramsay disagrees. French celebrity chef Philippe Etchebest seemed to welcome the outrage when he published his new recipe last year, telling viewers of the accompanying video that “I can already hear the purists crying foul because we don’t put cheese in quiche lorraine” before adding defiantly: “Well, I do, because I like cheese.” The hashtag #quichegate quickly consumed French social media. These chefs do all at least have the decency
to use French cheese — unlike Prue Leith, who puts strong cheddar in her ‘real quiche lorraine’, while the Hairy Bikers suggest adding parmesan to the pastry. James Martin, meanwhile, tops his with tomatoes; Jamie Oliver’s magazine once published a recipe for ‘quiche leekraine’; and Marie Laforêt’s
While chefs including Michel Roux suggest blind baking the pastry case before pouring in the filling, the Brotherhood of Quiche Lorraine’s official recipe doesn’t, giving the base a soft, buttery fondant quality reminiscent of a school dinner flan
Vegan Bible gives a plant-based version flavoured with tamari soy sauce, malted yeast and smoked tempeh ‘lardons’ in a custard made of tofu, soy cream and tahini. Onions — acceptable further east in Alsace,
a region famous for its zewelkueche (onion tart) — are frowned upon by those who wear the ceremonial robes of the Brotherhood; an apron, a traditional hat and a medal with a large quiche emblazoned on it. This organisation, which exists to showcase and promote the ‘true’ quiche lorraine, holds a biennial Fête de la Quiche in the town of Dombasle-sur-Meurthe — complete with a baking competition, live music and a procession, though these days minus the election of a Mademoiselle Quiche to preside over the festivities. It recently secured funding for road signs to welcome visitors to the official capital of quiche lorraine, and is currently seeking recognition from UNESCO as part of the region’s intangible cultural heritage. The brotherhood’s rival, APQ (Association
for the Protection of the Quiche) has a more liberal attitude. At the annual Quiche World Championships, judged by a panel of food journalists, restaurateurs and bloggers to the standard set by ‘the king of cooks and cook of kings’, Auguste Escoffier, anything goes. As long as it contains eggs, cream and salt it’s a quiche: indeed, though they concede bacon is the best-known addition, all alternatives are permitted ‘and even encouraged’. Only one quiche lorraine made the podium
in 2023, narrowly beating bacon, cheese and mushroom, and spinach and goat’s cheese versions to the top spot. That winning quiche lorraine, from Parisian charcuterie house Maison Verot, contained grated emmental, a Swiss cheese. Truly nothing is sacred — but then, despite the best efforts of the good people of Lorraine in recent years, the shape- shifting quiche has never been a dish to stick to the rules.
1862 Local historian Charles Chaumont compares the ‘exquisite… inimitable’ quiche to the oysters of La Rochelle and the truffles of Perigord.
TIME LINE
1605 The first recorded use of the word ‘quiche’ emerges in Nancy, then-capital of the Duchy of Lorraine.
1870 The Franco-Prussian War drives refugees from Alsace-Lorraine to Paris, bringing with them a taste for quiche.
1955 Cary Grant tucks into quiche lorraine with pastry ‘as light as air’ in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film To Catch a Thief.
1997 The world’s largest quiche lorraine, using 1,928 eggs and 80kg of lardons, is assembled in Paris.
1944 The British Ministry of Food suggests stretching the wartime meat ration further by making a quiche lorraine with a small rasher of bacon and some dried egg.
1970s America is so keen on quiche that Gourmet magazine publishes a recipe for a cranberry- carrot dessert version.
2015 The Confrérie de la Quiche Lorraine is established in the town of Dombasle-sur- Meurthe, which declares itself the World Capital of Quiche Lorraine.
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