You might think that being the queen of a country would mean indulging in all kinds of luxury foods, but for real life monarchs like Queen Elizabeth II simpler tastes often prevail. Being a royal, the late Elizabeth II’s taste in food was subject to the same curiosity of any other part of her life, but according to people around her there wasn’t much shocking about her diet. Queen Elizabeth’s favorite foods included British classics like tuna sandwiches, chocolate cake, and a Sunday roast, with the biggest hint of her high status being her preference for game from the family’s estates. Even her breakfast most mornings was just a simple bowl of Special K cereal. Maybe the most interesting tidbit about her royal highness’ dining habits was that she genuinely loved truffles but would refuse to have them served most of the year.
Why the truffle aversion? It didn’t have anything to do with them being out of season or not up to her standards, it had to do with cost. Elizabeth reportedly enjoyed a breakfast of eggs with grated truffle, along with another favorite of hers, smoked salmon. But whether out of concern for appearances or genuine worry about the price, she didn’t want them purchased for the royal kitchen. The queen would happily indulge in one of her favorite foods around the holidays when she would be sent truffles as gifts, a nice benefit of being royalty, but otherwise she would balk at their outrageous price.
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Queen Elizabeth Didn’t Want Her Royal Chefs Buying Truffles
shaved black truffle – Sfand/Shutterstock
Just how much of a luxury do truffles have to be to set off a queen’s alarm bells? Truffles are, in fact, one of the most expensive ingredients in the world, particularly the rare white truffle, which can fetch prices up to $4,000 per pound. There are even sought-after white Alba truffles that have sold for over $80,000. Now, you’re probably less shocked that Elizabeth couldn’t bring herself to pay for them. The more common types of truffles like black truffles are less expensive, but still costly, going between $300 and $800 per pound depending on the season.
What makes truffles so wildly expensive? Well, their intense, complex, and unique flavor means they are in high demand among chefs, but it mostly has to do with how they grow. Truffles are not actually mushrooms but the spores of a related fungi, and they grow underground. They grow in very specific circumstances: in forests with particular weather patterns and in symbiosis with only certain types of tree. This makes them almost impossible to cultivate domestically, and so most truffles must be foraged from the wild using dogs specially trained to find them. And even then they have a very short shelf life and must be shipped and served quickly if they are to be shaved fresh. It’s almost like nature itself is trying to ensure truffles stay a luxury, and not even the money of a queen can get around that.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
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