The Coronation Menu Will Be Without Two Key Ingredients, Thanks To Queen Camilla

The coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and The Queen Consort Camilla will be happening on May 6, and food is a surprisingly big part of the event. Plus, even if everyone in Britain isn't able to attend the actual coronation, they can sample some of the fare being served by whipping up their own versions at home.

There's a lot of curiosity about what exactly will be on the menu, as those dishes will likely be remembered for decades to come. After all, the coronation chicken served at Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation luncheon transformed from one of the menu items to a British staple found on menus and dinner tables across the nation (If you're interested in trying it out yourself, we even have a classic coronation chicken recipe).

There are two ingredients that won't be finding their way onto the menu, however. Camilla's son Tom Parker-Bowles revealed that the coronation menu won't contain any garlic, because of the potentially unpleasant breath it can trigger in those who consume it. They've also eliminated chili from the menu, partially because Camilla herself isn't partial to spicy fare and partially to avoid any potential gastrointestinal issues that overly spicy fare could cause. 

While they have shared some official recipes from the menu, eagle-eyed home cooks will notice they've apparently deemed garlic and chili okay for those making the dishes at home. So, presumably, the approved recipes will be slightly altered when served at the actual coronation luncheon.

Since British royals tend to avoid onions and garlic, you might expect chili and garlic to be excluded on the king's big day. But another notable absence recently made headlines, as it was reported that coronation chicken will be replaced with quiche. While we do not actually know how the king and queen feel about coronation chicken, Tom Parker-Bowles has a pretty hot take on the stuff: He feels it's vastly overrated. In fact, as he reveals in the News Agents podcast where he dishes on coronation dishes, he actually can't stand most modern recipes for the poultry-based icon.

Coronation chicken has actually evolved, or rather, devolved, quite a bit over time. The original recipe as developed at London's Le Cordon Bleu cooking school consisted of chicken in a curry cream sauce. Parker-Bowles, who is a food writer by trade, describes it as "something quite nice and probably quite exotic for the '50s." Modern-day interpretations, however, tend to be heavy on the mayonnaise and often include raisins (or sultanas, as the golden kind is called in the U.K.), chutney, and other such add-ins. Parker Bowles feels that coronation chicken in its current incarnation is "really horrible... [an] awful, turgid, sad, sort of gloopy mess."

King Charles may well be one of the world's greenest monarchs as he's always been a dedicated environmentalist. While he hasn't adopted a vegan diet, he does skip meat two days a week and dairy on one day and is reported to be hiring a sous chef to prepare plant-based meals at Buckingham Palace. He's also a proponent of sustainable eating and organic farming and is pretty big on the idea of food production being as cruelty-free as possible, too.

One item that is never served in the palace kitchens is foie gras, a delicacy produced by force-feeding geese or ducks to the point where their livers become distended and may even rupture. The then-Prince of Wales instructed all of his chefs to stop serving this dish back in 2008 and he's even been reluctant to grant a royal warrant to businesses that sell the stuff. For that reason, we'd bet the crown jewels that foie gras will not be appearing on the coronation menu.

So, while there probably won't be any chili, garlic, or foie gras allowed in the kitchen when the chefs are whipping up the coronation menu, what exactly will be on offer? 

The signature dish for King Charles III will be a coronation quiche, and the royal family has shared the recipe in case anyone wants to make their own version at home. The quiche uses a standard shortcrust pastry base and a filling that incorporates double cream for some added richness, as well as spinach, broad beans, fresh tarragon, and cheddar cheese for flavor.

To round out the menu, it seems that many British chefs are being tapped for their culinary expertise, although they're drawing inspiration from all corners of the globe with their flavors. 

Vegetarians will be thrilled to hear that, in addition to the vegetarian quiche serving as the menu's signature dish, "The Great British Bake Off" winner turned cookbook author and culinary personality Nadiya Hussain will contribute a dish featuring eggplant (or "aubergine" on the other side of the pond). 

However, there will still be meat on the menu. Chef Ken Hom has a recipe for a roast rack of lamb with Asian-style marinade, while seafood lovers will want to try out Gregg Wallace's tropical-inspired prawn tacos with pineapple salsa. 

For dessert, they're serving Adam Handling's take on a classic British trifle with aromatic ginger custard, strawberry jelly, and Yorkshire parkin, a type of cake that incorporates molasses and oats for a unique flavor.