Does the Royal Family Eat Pork? A Look at the Queen’s Unusual Dietary Restrictions

The British Royal Family with its centuries of tradition and protocol, lives a life quite different from the average British citizen. This is especially apparent when it comes to their dining habits. The Queen and other royals must follow a number of unusual rules dictating what they can and cannot eat. One question that often comes up is whether the royals eat pork. Let’s take a closer look at the evidence.

A History of Avoiding Garlic and Onions

Royal food avoidance can be traced back hundreds of years. In the Middle Ages, the upper class avoided garlic and onions, believing them to be unrefined foods favored by peasants Royals were especially careful about avoiding garlic and onion breath when making public appearances or meeting with commoners

This tradition continued for centuries. In the 1900s, when Queen Elizabeth II was still a princess staff were instructed not to prepare dishes containing garlic or too many onions. Nowadays the royal family still avoids eating garlic and onions when carrying out public engagements. But in private, they no longer consider these ingredients taboo.

Why the Royals Follow Food Restrictions

So what’s the reasoning behind the royal family’s dietary limitations? There are a few factors at play:

• Avoiding strong flavors or foods that cause bad breath: As mentioned, royals traditionally avoided garlic, onions, and spicy foods that might leave them with bad breath when meeting people.

• Preferring lighter, plainer dishes: Heavy or rich foods are seen as inelegant. The royal menu tends to feature simpler, blander cuisine.

• Staying healthy for public duties: The Queen and other senior royals have extremely busy schedules. Eating lighter foods may help them avoid indigestion or other problems.

Does the Queen Eat Pork?

Pork used to be something the royal family avoided. Back in the Middle Ages, royals viewed the pig as a dirty animal unfit to eat. But today, pork features regularly on menus for the Queen and other royals when they are dining in private.

Some of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite pork dishes include:

• Bacon, especially as part of a full English breakfast
• Sausages
• Roast pork with crackling
• Gammon steak

The Queen is also said to enjoy ham sandwiches as part of her afternoon tea. And when dining at the royal residences of Sandringham or Balmoral, smoked Scottish salmon and gammon are often on the menu.

So while the royal family may have historically eschewed pork, today they are happy to indulge in some bacon and other pork products—but only in private.

Other Foods the Queen Avoids

While the royal family’s avoidance of garlic, onions, and pork is mostly a thing of the past, Queen Elizabeth does still avoid certain other foods:

• Shellfish: To minimize the risk of food poisoning, the Queen does not eat shellfish like mussels, clams, oysters, or crab.

• Rare meat: The Queen prefers well-done meat to avoid any risk of illness.

• Tap water: When traveling abroad, the Queen does not drink tap water. She only consumes bottled water to avoid unfamiliar bacteria.

• Rice, pasta, and potatoes: Starchy carbohydrate-heavy foods are avoided by the Queen, perhaps to maintain a healthy weight for public appearances.

The Queen’s Favorite Treats

Though Queen Elizabeth’s daily diet is modest and health-conscious, she does have some favorite indulgent treats. These include:

• Chocolate biscuit cake: This rich chocolatey cake layered with biscuits is said to be the Queen’s favorite dessert.

• Gin and Dubonnet: The Queen likes to relax in the evening with a gin-based cocktail with Dubonnet and lemon.

• Jam pennies: Elizabeth loves eating little circles of bread with jam, known as jam pennies.

• Afternoon tea: No royal day is complete without scones, finger sandwiches, and cake for teatime.

So while royal duty demands dietary discipline from Queen Elizabeth most of the time, she also makes room for a few cherished indulgences.

The Royal Diet Today

The British monarchy has relaxed its food rules significantly since the days when garlic and pork were considered taboo. Senior royals like the Queen do still avoid certain foods, but this is mainly for health rather than custom. And they will enjoy treats like chocolate cake without too much restraint when dining privately.

So the next time you see the refined Queen at a formal banquet, remember that in private she may well be tucking into some bacon, sausage, and other formerly “forbidden” foods with royal relish! Moderation and balance are the priorities for the royal diet today.