queen elizabeth enforces a number of
very strict and sometimes very strange
rules on the royal family and that goes
for what they eat and drink too these
are the foods that the royal family are
forbidden from eating and some of them
are sure to surprise you
one thing the queen does love is steak
and while this certainly isn't unusual
what's most notable about her steak is
the way she has the meat cooked well
done former royal chef daryn mcgrady
explained chefs we cook medium rare all
the time so it was really really
important that we got a really good sear
on the steaks and cooked her steak well
done that might seem off but this likely
goes beyond just personal preference
because rare meat is reportedly off
limits to royals during their travels
this is most likely because eating rare
or undercooked meat carries many risks
undercooked meat can be a breeding
ground for e coli which can cause
diarrhea vomiting and stomach cramps
salmonella is also a potential problem
which can cause severe food poisoning
undercooked meat poultry and seafood can
also cause listeria which brings with it
diarrhea nausea fever and muscle aches
and that's before you even touch on
parasites that can be present in meat
many of which can cause severe
infections although eating rare meat is
certainly no guarantee of infection it
seems that royals just aren't willing to
take the risk especially when they've
got their duties to attend to
according to mcgrady the queen tends to
avoid eating starchy foods such as
potatoes pasta and rice except on very
special occasions although this rule
likely doesn't apply to other royals
when they're off doing their own thing
meals at buckingham palace or wherever
the queen is currently staying tend to
be a different story entirely it's
likely that the queen's aversion to
starchy foods is due to their high carb
content which some have argued can have
an effect on people's health and the
queen isn't the only world leader to
worry about this in 2015 pope francis
was told to lay off the pasta after he
began to gain weight
it's the basis of all great cooking it's
the perfect way to spruce up any dish
it's the reason your house isn't overrun
with vampires right now yes that's right
it's garlic
unfortunately the many joys of garlic
remain thoroughly out of reach for the
british royal family during an
appearance on masterchef australia
camilla parker-bowles wife to prince
charles and duchess of cornwall revealed
that garlic was on the list of foods
that the royals are told to skip since
they are so often required to converse
with other dignitaries and members of
the public darren mcgrady backed this up
in 2016 when he told recipes plus that
palace chefs were asked to refrain from
serving anything with garlic meanwhile
another former royal chef told the
national post in 2016 that they're
missing out on garlic because at
buckingham palace you don't cook with
garlic i suppose in case you get the
royal burp
excuse
me out than in i always say fiona darren
mcgrady has also revealed that royal
chefs were forbidden from using a lot of
onions in their dishes considering
onions form the basis of pretty much
every decent recipe out there the royals
have got to be thankful that they're
allowed at least some leeway on that one
but honestly we draw the line of garlic
who could live without that
even if the queen does relent on our no
starch rule you can be sure that royal
pasta is not going to be served with a
marinara sauce that's because according
to the bbc the royals prefer to avoid
messy tomato sauces this revelation came
in advance of the queen and prince
phillips visit to roman milan in 2000
chefs at the palace of the italian
president were told that as well as
garlic and pasta tomato sauces would not
be permitted on the menu this one
imagines wouldn't be exactly what an
italian chef likes to hear you can kind
of see the logic here if you're all
dressed up for a banquet where you'll be
the focus of attention to both guests
and the media you're not going to want
to take any risks with spillages and
since the queen probably doesn't fancy
wearing a red dress every time she eats
it's safe to say that the easiest thing
to do would be to just ban messy sauces
all together great news for the
integrity of the british monarchy not so
great for lovers of a hearty tomato
sauce
foie gras is one of the most
controversial foods out there the main
problem with this expensive high-class
pate is that the producers exercise a
shocking degree of cruelty in the
production process so maybe it's no
surprise that in 2008 the famously
environmentally conscious prince charles
banned it from the royal menu
furthermore charles was reported to be
considering withdrawing the royal
warrant from his favorite cheese shop
because they sold foie gras most uk
retailers opt not to sell foie gras and
production of the food stuff is banned
in the country france however exports
very large quantities of it
controversial in his home country the
prince's ban of foie gras was welcomed
by animal rights groups
the world of shellfish is an exciting
one indeed the term can refer to any one
of a range of delicious and fascinating
fish that are served all around the
world from shrimp to oysters to crab to
lobster to clams scallops crayfish
mussels and more but while these kind of
shellfish are all very different in
taste and texture they do share one
thing in common they're a no-go for the
royals according to the bbc the royals
make concerted efforts to avoid eating
shellfish while dining out or visiting
foreign countries since it can carry a
greater than normal risk of causing
infection and illness and that's putting
it lightly for example molluscs
accounted for 45 of all seafood-related
cases of foodborne illness between 1973
and 2006
so it's pretty safe to say the queen
isn't taking chances that all chefs
around the world know the correct way to
store and serve these finicky foods and
they're not alone healthline even
recommends that pregnant and
breastfeeding women older adults and
people with compromised immune systems
should stay away from raw shellfish
altogether
one of the main benefits of being a
royal is that you get to travel the
world as part of their duties the royals
often make visits to other countries so
you'd imagine that they're fairly well
versed in international gastronomy
especially since state visits usually
mean state banquets unfortunately some
of these countries more exotic dishes
are very much off the menu in 2000 the
bbc revealed that the royal entourage is
banned from eating any food that is too
spicy or exotic but why well it's easy
to imagine that this might come down to
image it's not going to look too great
if the queen or any other royal sits
down at a stage banquet takes a bite of
ultra spicy curry and immediately begins
to literally melt down in front of the
world's dignitaries oh
guess what got me
god
equally nobody's going to look too
kindly on a royal reluctantly trying
some strange exotic dish realizing that
they hate it and grimacing painfully as
they swallow it down not to mention
spicy foods have been known to cause a
bit of stomach upset especially to those
who aren't used to them why take the
risk
they say you shouldn't drink the tap
water when you travel abroad and it
seems that the royals have taken that
old adage to heart since they're told to
avoid drinking tap water so as to avoid
any gastronomic distress it's true that
in certain countries tap water can prove
very dangerous indeed the nhs recommends
that visitors to countries with poor
sanitation quote use filtered bottled
boiled or chemically treated water
rather than water from the tap
contaminated water can contain bacteria
and parasites from human or animal fecal
matter dangerous minerals such as lead
or mercury as well as chemicals from
industrial waste these can pose a
particular risk to people with
compromised immune systems some of the
potential side effects of drinking
contaminated water include
gastrointestinal disease kidney problems
and long-term issues with physical and
mental development naturally then the
queen prefers to drink bottled water and
not just any old bottle either no as
with so many other foods and drinks she
usually enjoys one brand in particular
the queen and her household prefer to
drink hilden natural mineral water which
comes from the test valley in the united
kingdom according to their own website
hilden's unique flavor quote is praised
for its delicate purity and avoidance of
medicinal taste this stuff isn't cheap
though and a 12 pack of 11oz bottles
will set you back a staggering 60
fancy
despite all these forbidden foods life
as a royal is still pretty lavish after
all you're not going to be complaining
about having your foie gras taken away
when you're getting to eat all kinds of
pheasant fresh vegetables chocolate
cakes and sandwiches but although they
eat well one thing the royals can't
abide is waste according to former royal
chef carolyn robb prince charles is
insistent that nothing goes to waste
saying if there were leftovers they'd be
used one way or another if not for him
then rehashed and used for a meal the
following day even the meals themselves
were modest rob explained we were always
quite careful as he never wanted to have
huge amounts of food on the plate they
were always very thrifty and economical
if we made roasted lamb and there was
leftovers we'd probably go and make
shepherd's pie the next night the queen
is no different in an interview with
hello darren mcgrady recalled her own
propensity towards thriftiness saying
one time at the palace the queen was
going to the theater and she requested a
snack she wanted smoked salmon and
scrambled eggs and the server sent half
a lemon and did a really beautiful
garnish on the lemon and the queen took
a squeeze of the lemon and said would
you send this lemon back to the kitchen
i'm sure it can be used for something
else
of course now you know just what the
queen can't abide one question remains
what does she like luckily it's easy to
get a handle on what she eats and drinks
thanks to the uk system of royal
warrants royal warrants are according to
the royal warrant holders association a
quote mark of recognition of those who
have supplied goods or services to the
royal family essentially they're the
queen's favorite things any business or
individual who holds a royal warrant is
also permitted to emblazon their
products with the royal arms but to be
eligible they have to supply products or
services to the queen prince philip or
prince charles for no fewer than five
years out of the last seven they're also
made to demonstrate that they quote have
an appropriate environmental and
sustainability policy and action plan
some foods that hold the royal warrant
include cadbury the british chocolatier
now owned by kraft quaker oats a
producer of cereals and porridges paxton
and whitfield the uk's oldest cheese
monger and mackelhany who make tabasco
sauce royal approved drinks include
angostura producer of ramen bitter
bacardi producers of gin scotch whiskey
makes john walker and sons are twinning
in company a tea producer and even
schweppes but those are just a few
examples all in all around 800
businesses and individuals hold royal
warrants with the list being updated
monthly and they definitely make up for
all those things the royals can't have
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