Quiche Lorraine: A Story of Tradition, Bacon, and Cheese Heresy
From royal controversies to age-old traditions, discover the true Quiche Lorraine—no cheese, no nonsense, just history on a plate.
I still remember the moment I heard about it.
"The official dish of King Charles III's coronation will be a quiche," the news announced.
A quiche.
For a British coronation.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I love a good quiche.
But when I saw the ingredients—spinach, broad beans, and tarragon—I couldn't help but think: Hold on a second, that's not a quiche.
At least, not in the way we Lorrains understand it.
“Vous êtes une Quiche, Monsieur!”
And speaking of quiches, here’s a fun little linguistic tidbit for you—if you call someone a quiche in French, you’re not exactly giving them a compliment.
It’s slang for someone a bit clueless, a bit of a fool.
So imagine my reaction when I saw the news: "The King is serving quiche at his coronation!"
For a split second, I thought it was some kind of royal fake news.
Because in Lorraine, quiche isn’t just a dish—it’s a legacy.
A piece of home.
Something we take so seriously that there’s even a Confrérie de la Quiche Lorraine (yes, a whole brotherhood dedicated to protecting the real thing).
And when we say “quiche,” we mean Quiche Lorraine—not a spinach tart, not a salmon quiche, not whatever trendy reinterpretation you might find in a hipster café in London or NYC.
No. We mean the quiche, the one that’s been gracing tables in eastern France for centuries.
So let’s talk about it.
What is a true Quiche Lorraine? Where does it come from?
And, most importantly—because I wouldn’t dare leave you hanging—I’ll share the real recipe, the one that has been passed down in Lorraine for generations.
The Real Quiche Lorraine: No Cheese, No Nonsense
A proper Quiche Lorraine is deceptively simple.
Just a handful of ingredients: eggs, cream, smoked lardons, and a crisp, golden pastry base.
That’s it. No onions, no cheese (yes, really—no cheese), no mushrooms, no fancy additions.
In fact, adding cheese to a Quiche Lorraine is almost a crime in the eyes of purists.
And I have to agree.
You’ll find it today all over France, in bakeries, supermarkets, and brasseries.
Sometimes, unfortunately, in butchered versions overloaded with ingredients that have no business being there.
But in Lorraine, we still do it the right way.
If you ever visit, stop by a local boulangerie early in the morning—freshly baked, still warm, the scent of lardons and buttery pastry filling the air.
That’s when you know you’ve found the real thing.
Where Did It Come From?
Now, let’s rewind. Where does this iconic dish come from?
The history of Quiche Lorraine stretches back centuries.
The earliest mentions date back to 1586, during the reign of Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (yes, another Charles III—history does love its patterns).
The name "quiche" itself likely comes from the Lorrain-Franconian word Kichel or Kich, meaning cake.
These words have close relatives in German dialects, such as Kuchen, which means cake or pastry in standard German.
In Alsace and certain parts of Lorraine, the term Kichel was historically used for small cakes or biscuits, reinforcing the idea that quiche originally referred to a simple baked dish.
The evolution of the word reflects the strong cultural and linguistic ties between Lorraine and its Germanic neighbours, a heritage that is still visible in many regional dishes and traditions today.
Interestingly, this dish first appeared in the duke's court records, where it was noted as a dish served during lean days, likely due to its simple yet filling nature.
A Humble Beginning in the Communal Oven
Originally, though, quiche wasn’t quite the rich, buttery tart we know today.
It was a rustic dish, baked in communal ovens on bread dough rather than shortcrust pastry.
In Lorraine, bread was a staple, and once the loaves were done, farmers’ wives would take advantage of the remaining oven heat to prepare a quick, nourishing meal using whatever simple ingredients they had on hand.
Eggs, cream, and a touch of lard were mixed together and poured onto the leftover dough, creating an early version of what we now recognize as quiche.
At the time, this was not considered a luxurious dish—it was practical, born out of necessity and efficiency.
Every household had access to eggs and cream, making it a convenient way to make use of what was readily available.
Some families even had their own little rituals—adding a handful of herbs from the garden, or using a wooden spoon passed down through generations to stir the mixture, as if that spoon held the secret to the perfect quiche.
A Culinary Rite of Passage
Legend has it that in some villages, the quiche was used as a test of patience for newlyweds.
If a bride could roll out the dough thin enough and bake a quiche that didn’t burn in the fierce heat of the communal oven, she was seen as a competent housekeeper.
If she failed? Well, let’s just say she’d have to endure a few teasing remarks at the next village gathering.
Over time, as culinary techniques refined and the dish gained recognition beyond the countryside, it evolved into something more sophisticated, eventually replacing bread dough with shortcrust pastry and incorporating lardons for extra flavour.
By the late 19th century, Quiche Lorraine had firmly established itself as a staple not only in Lorraine but across France, a dish both humble and refined, embodying the history and resilience of the region.
The Evolution of Quiche Lorraine
As we saw, for a long time, the quiche remained a rural dish, a simple staple of households in Lorraine baked in the communal oven.
But by the 19th century, as cities grew and culinary tastes evolved, it became thicker, richer, and more refined.
The dough changed from a bread-like base to the shortcrust pastry we use today.
Fatty cuts of pork were replaced with lardons, those delicious little batons of smoked bacon that add the perfect savoury depth.
With the rise of the bourgeoisie in the 19th century, quiche found its way onto more refined tables, becoming not just a peasant’s meal but a sought-after dish in towns and cities.
In Nancy, the capital of Ducal Lorraine, it became a Sunday tradition in many families, served warm from the oven with a fresh green salad.
Grandmothers would boast about their secret techniques—some swearing by an extra egg yolk in the custard, others insisting that the only way to get the perfect crisp pastry was to chill the dough overnight.
From Lorraine to the World: The Global Quiche Phenomenon
By the time the 20th century rolled around, Quiche Lorraine had spread beyond its homeland, winning over French diners across the country.
It was featured in culinary magazines, prepared in elegant tearooms, and even graced the tables of Parisian bistros.
Then, after World War II, it made its way to Britain and America, where—let’s be honest—things got a bit out of hand.
Quiche suddenly became a catch-all term for any kind of egg-based tart, no matter how distant from the original it was.
Cheese crept in. Broccoli appeared. Even salmon.
The horror.
One particularly infamous moment in quiche history came in 1982 when Bruce Feirstein’s satirical book Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche took the US by storm.
The book poked fun at gender stereotypes, but in the process, it sealed quiche’s reputation as a "fancy" or even "unmanly" dish—much to the confusion of the people of Lorraine, who had never seen anything delicate about a good, hearty Quiche Lorraine.
Time for the Real Recipe
So, now that you know what Quiche Lorraine is (and what it definitely isn’t), let’s get to the best part: making one.
But before we go any further, a quick note: from here on out, this content is reserved for paying subscribers on Substack.
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