The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-28
SOCIAL GOSSIP OF
FOREIGN CAPITALS


upper part of the State of New York
sends the following:
Rochester, n. T.. Jan. 10.
Dear FlaDeur: have read with great deal Of
interest your charming description tmany thank.) Of
the observance Of the yulede festivities among tho
royal British family and the dishes mos. favored
fer the Christmas dinner Of the King. There has
been a dispute in our home regarding the dishes
favored By the rulers Of Germany and Russia Are
you willing to obiige US with detailed description,
We shall appreciate it. Miss D. DE c. 8.
Sure. 1 am willing to tell all know
about this momentous question. To start
with. do not let US forget that between
what monarchs would like to eat on
Christmas Day and what they actually
have to eat there is quite a difference.
You and l might imagine that a royal
appetite ought to be above all consider
atoms Of etiquette, and that the King of
Spain. to quote an example, could regale
himself with his favorite dishes, goat
meat or goose stuffed with chestnuts;
but let me set you right that Christmas
Day for most monarchs is one devoted to
national dishes. which are not always to
the royal taste.
The German Kaiser. as is we'll known,
is very fond Of beer SOUP connection
for which onions. potatoes. and beer are
the main substance. One cannot well
imagine the Emperor sitting down on
Christmas Day to this favored dish, es-
pecially in view of the fact that he re-
ceived as Christmas presents any num-
Der Of turkeys. together with substantial
joints Of beef and plum pudding from
Sandringham and Windsor Castle as we'll
as a barrel-just think Of a whole barrel
Of the finest Of Russian caviare from the
Gar Of Russia
Now. Of course, the Kaiser is bound
to partake. or better. to sample, these
viands. to show his appreciation to the
donor. But duty compels him also to
eat the traditional Teutonic Christmas
dish. comprising boiled carp served with
a sauce made OF ground gingerbread and
beer. / should say a terrible dish to put
into ones stomach. but que voulez
vous?' A Hohenzollern and not sane
ton the appearance of the German ma
tional Christmas dish?
When the Yuletide season is near, the
Kaiser mindful of the good provender
he receives from his English relations,
has gifts in kind forwarded by special
messenger to Windsor Castle, the most
important being the head of boar that
has fallen a victim to the imperial
donors unerring aim. This dainty
whether it is cooked at Windsor or Sand
bingham, in due course makes its appear
ance in the royal dinng-room to the &C
compartment Of divers ceremonies.
Placed on a silver plate six feet in
length and three feet wide, it is borne to
the sideboard by two footmen, the orches-
ira the while playing either an ancient
Teutonic song. the words Of which are
laudatory to the toothsome qualities OF
wild boar's head. or perhaps an ancient
carol that is annually chanted on the oc-
casion of the appearance Of the boar
head. at Queens College, Oxford.
I spoke of the boar's head before. !
have explained that it is not the only
dish out of the ordinary that makes its
appearance on the royal tables at Yule-
tide. There. for instance. is that impor-
tant item. the royal roast cygnet. which
gives the kings swan master something
to think about. l spoke also of the IA
nous royal plum pudding. specimens of
which are sent to all of the reigning
houses of Europe: but. looking over the
Flaneur files. find that 1 have omitted to
tell of the recipe. The quantities are as
follows: One pound of currants and the
same weight of raisins, beef suet, finely
grated stale brown bread, half a pound
of sultanas and the same quantity of raw
sugar and flour: of powdered cinnamon. a
teaspoonful; half that quantitHof nutmeg
and salt, six ounces of mixed candied
peel. the yokes of eight eggs and the
whites Of four. few coriander seeds. a
wineglassful of brandy and some milk
When these concomitants are amalga-
mated the result is said to be a dish truly
worthy to be set before a king This
pudding is taken to the table blazing and
there eaten with almond custard and a
sauce. into which enter two wineglassfuls
Of very old brown brandy. two Of Mar
sala. desert spoonful Of raw sugar,
and pint of melted butter.
While on the subject of royal recipes,
it may be interesting to know that a
cocktail" concocted with a little rye
whisky. some crushed ice, a small square
OF pineapple. a piece Of lemon peel, a
few drops of maraschino, a '.freshener'
OF champagne, a dash Of Angostura BIT
ters and powdered sugar to taste, in
vented by the late King Edward. is
among the liquids consumed, which in
clude also the famous cup the recipe
for which never is divulged. saving to
the kings chief butler on his taking
Office
Peaches, at about 81 apiece, imported
from the hothouses Of the south Of
France, generally appear on the table
Of the Gar of Russia on Christmas Day.
which shows that the Russian imperial
cuisine is carried on on a most lavish
scale. though, as a matter Of fact the
Cars tastes are very simple. Goldfish.
fried in oil. scarcely requires chef
with a salary running into four figures
to prepare, while the national dish,
known as ''shtshi,'' which includes
picked cabbage, meat BROTH and a few
other specifically Russian ingredients. is
a Christmas dish that every Russian
cook has at her finger ends.
Although his chef gets a salary of
$4,000 a year and his kitchen entails an
expenditure Of $4,000 annually. Emperor
Franz Josef Of Austria-Hungary has the
simplest taste in the matter Of food.
Christmas or otherwise. and in that re-
spect he resembles the late King OF
Sweden, who was SO dernocratic, that on
one o. his visits in London he went to