Serve This Dish To The Queen And It's Off With Your Head
The Queen of England herself will not eat this apparently menacing menu item.
I have never looked at a plate of food and thought, "someone is trying to kill me and steal all my money," but I guess that's the struggle when you're part of the ruling class. Afternoon tea is a must across the pond, but the Queen needs her tea-time sandwiches served a specific way, reports Emma Shacklock of Woman and Home.
What food does the royal family avoid (and why)?
According to former royal chef Graham Newbould, the Queen (and the royal family in general) would only eat sandwiches with rounded edges because, "Tradition has it that anyone presenting them with pointed-edged food is trying to overthrow the throne of England." Another theory as to why no pointed edges are allowed on the plates of royals, as reported by My London News, is that Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, thought any "coffin-shaped" food was bad luck.
Much like the Queen's guilty pleasure of eating a bunless burger, this food tradition is something us commoners find unrelatable. If someone really were trying to overthrow the ruling family, why would they signal it to them through subliminal food messaging? That's sort of like the scene in a movie where the villain wastes time explaining their evil plot to the hero only to be immediately defeated.
Garlic and onions are two ingredients members of the royal family try to avoid, but this is more for practical reasons. As people whose schedules are likely filled with many meet and greet-style events, they don't want to subject others to their garlic or onion breath, reports My London News.
Hello Magazine has also reported that when the Queen eats alone, she avoids starchy food like pasta and potatoes. And when attending large events, the Queen's plate is chosen at random with the logic that if someone did want to poison her, they would have to poison all the plates of all in attendance.
I would think starchy foods would be less of an issue and the possibility of a poisoned platter would be more of a concern, but I guess that's why I am not an English monarch. That is the only reason, right?