Quiche

The original quiche recipe comes from the Lorraine region of France near Germany. Its earliest appearance dates back to 1373, but it was without the addition of bacon, which is now considered a must. The word quiche is probably from the Alsacian word kuche, and the German word kuchen, which means cake. Since the province of Lorraine borders the French province of Alsace (and two other provinces), as well as the countries Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg, it is unsurprising that their cultures and languages would seep in.

Quiche first appeared in an official sense on the menu of Duc Charles III of Lorraine at the end of the 16th century. Although it is customary to put many variants in quiche – cheese (most commonly), tuna, vegetables, etc … a true quiche Lorraine will have a pâte brisé – which is like a regular pie crust – and not a flakier pastry crust, which you sometimes see. And it will be filled with eggs, sour cream (crème fraîche), bacon, pepper, and nutmeg. That’s it. The salt from the bacon is supposed to be enough to flavour the whole quiche, so not even the addition of salt is customary.