Britain was a dominant power. She had reached the coast of North America, conquered Canada in the Seven Years' War, controlled the oceans and defeated Napoleon himself. But if King George III, the third British monarch of the House of Hanover, will be remembered for anything, it will be for the loss of the colonies that gave rise to the United States.
Beyond geopolitics, the sovereign was a person with simple and plain manners. He was so folksy that he was known as 'Farmer Jorge'. “King George III's love of the simpler rural life is reflected even in his eating habits,” says Dr Sarah Fox, from the University of Birmingham.
Fox and his colleagues at University College London and the University of Essex have compiled a list of up to 3,000 unique dishes, out of 40,000 in total, that were served to the monarch at Kew Palace and to the Prince Regent, George IV. , at Carlton House between 1788 and 1813.
As the researchers explain in an article published in the journal Food and History, each dish has been classified by key ingredients and cooking methods, resulting in more than 1.3 million valuable data that paint a detailed picture of the diet. daily in the British royal house.
"Dishes with eggs, larks and out-of-season vegetables were among the most expensive foods King George III ate, while the Prince Regent reveled in elaborate desserts, a wide variety of alcoholic beverages and meat-laden sideboards served at every meal," says Fox.
George III and his son the Prince Regent actually had completely opposite eating habits. “George IV was known for his taste for the finer things in life, even at the table,” continues Sarah Fox, who has worked from two cookbooks from Kew Palace and Carlton House.
These meal lists contain the daily food allocations for each table in the two palaces between the years 1788-1813, including two periods when George III was severely suffering from mental health crises. Recent studies have detected high levels of arsenic in hair and scientists believe that the disorders may be due to porphyria.
Dr. Adam Crymble, co-author of the study, notes that by reviewing "the accounting books of the kitchens of Georgian royal palaces, we have discovered fascinating information about the habits of that time. Many dishes, such as Turkish kebabs, only appear once or twice, suggesting that many experiments were being carried out, even with delicacies imported from abroad.”
"Our research also shows how children in palaces often ate different things to adults, generally less tasty and including healthy portions of vegetables, showing that even princes and princesses ate children's meals," he adds.
The 10 main dishes consumed by the third British king of the House of Hanover were chicken broth, sweet pies, roast capon (similar to roast chicken), roast lamb, asparagus, lobster, spinach, artichokes and other types of roast meat.
The food listed in the royal household's account books also shows the impact of the expansion of the British Empire on their eating habits. References to sugar, spices, chocolate, tea and coffee appear, reflecting the transformation of the diet and drink consumption of the British public during the 18th century.
The British love of foreign cuisine can also be seen with the appearance of pasta and parmesan, in addition to kebabs, on George III's table. "The king really liked to eat a roast chicken and a fruit tart or a pudding for dessert. Meals like this are not that different from the food we enjoy today," the experts point out.
