Real men SHOULD eat quiche

Remember the saying “real men don’t eat quiche?” That term is now part of American lexicon. Many people may have said it or heard it said not knowing its real meaning or who to thank for the phrase. You can thank an American author named Bruce Feirstein, who wrote a bestselling tongue-in-cheek book satirizing stereotypes of masculinity, 1982 that was titled “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche”.

The book's humor comes from the fears and confusion of contemporary 1980s middle-class men about how they ought to behave, after a decade of various forms of feminist criticism on traditional male roles and beliefs. The book was very successful and very popular, it was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 55 weeks, and sold over 1.6 million copies.

I was a middle class man in the 80’s. I was raised in the suburbs and my family roots were in farming and ranching. I had a BMW, wore suits and went to night clubs (I think most of us did). Yes… I ate quiche and my manhood remains in tact. I have a beard and mustache, I had a truck, I owned horses, and know how to use an axe. Plaid is my favorite pattern, other than camo. Flannel, wool, denim and waxed cotton are my favorite fabrics. I typically wear hiking or hunting boots (even with a sport coat) and I would rather be hunting or fishing than at the office. So yes, real men do eat quiche.

These are real men, and yes... they eat quiche

Now that that is settled, let’s take a look at the foods history and leave the cheeky pop culture sayings to those writers that don’t know any better.

Although quiche is now considered a classically French dish, it actually originated in Germany. It started in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, which the French later renamed Lorraine (sound familiar!). The word ‘quiche’ is from the German word ‘kuchen’, meaning cake.

The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling comprising an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. If you add onions, you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.

Quiche became popular in England sometime after WWII, and in the USA during the 1950s and today, there are many varieties of quiche. At Vintage Fare Cafe, they make approximately 40 different quiches with many different ingredients; some with only veggies, some meat, some with both, some for breakfast, some for lunch and some for dinner. The menu changes daily and they are all made fresh and all really delicious!

In short, all real men (like the ones pictured above), and women for that matter, should definitely stop in and check out what quiche is on the menu at Vintage Fare. You won’t be disappointed.