The death of Isabel II and succession to the throne of his son, Charles III, are unearthing some of the most colorful traditions of the Crown of England. One of them is to give the newly crowned monarch a lamprey cakean ancient elongated fish, no jaw or scales, whose main hobby is to parasitize other fish and suck their blood. Described like this it doesn’t sound very appetizing, but tradition is tradition.
Elizabeth II also ate lamprey cake at her coronation and it was even served to her during her diamond jubilee. Before her, dozens of kings of England did the same. There was even one Henry Iwho allegedly died from eating too much lamprey pie.
That is what a historian of the time tells us, but to this day we cannot know if that was the cause of his death. What is clear is that that death did not stop the tradition; that, even undergoing some changes, has reached today. Now it’s Carlos III’s turn to eat the lamprey pie and for us to remember a bit of his history.
When the lamprey was considered a delicacy for the rich
The lamprey is a very ancient animal. Fossils 360 million years old have been found and while some species are extinctthose that remain today are not far from their predecessors.
Perhaps that is the reason why, along with its precious meat, for centuries the lamprey became a delicacy that only the rich and powerful people. From the ancient Romans to the Vikingseveryone enjoyed their meat, which could be eaten alone or cooked in the form of a cake.
Furthermore, in medieval Europe it was allowed eat lamprey on fast daysso it went on to become a food typical of christmas. The day before this festive day was considered fasting, so those who could afford it took the opportunity to enjoy lamprey meat. Following this custom, the city of Gloucester He started the tradition of giving a lamprey cake to the King of England every year for Christmas.
It should be noted that many species of lamprey live in sweet water. Since the city is built outside the River Severn, they had good access to fish it. However, giving it away was an economic effort, due to how well valued its meat was. Therefore, there came a time when the tradition was not followed. It was in the year 1200under the reign of John Iwho chose to penalize the entire city with a fine of 40 marksfor refusing to offer the typical lamprey cake.
From Henry I to Charles III
Shortly before Juan I’s anger, another king, Enrique I, had supposedly died from the consumption of lamprey cake.
His doctor had instructed him not to eat the meat of this animal, because he always got sick when he did. It could be because of some personal intolerance or simply because high levels of fat of his meat could worsen some of the diseases he suffered from. But the monarch turned a deaf ear, continued eating and, finally, after one of his darings with the lamprey cake, he ended up getting sick and dying.
Even so, and despite the fine of 1200, the tradition of presenting lamprey cake to monarchs at Christmas continued until the 19th century. So, it ended up being discarded due to the high price of its meat. However, in some special situations, such as coronations or jubileesGloucester has continued to offer the gift.
Elizabeth II received a lamprey cake in his coronation, in 1953. The fish to make it were supplied by a Gloucester-based company, but were caught in Grimsby.
Later, in 2012, on the occasion of the diamond jubilee, he was given a cake again. However, on this occasion they had to be asked USA.
Invasive or endangered species?
The pollution of the rivers of England has led to lamprey populations dropping markedly. Therefore, for prevent its extinction, its fishing is prohibited without the slightest exception. This is why the city of Gloucester had no chance to catch a lamprey for Elizabeth II on her diamond jubilee.
But they had option B. After investigating the situation of the fish in other parts of the world, they learned that in the Great Lakes of North America the lampreys had become a Invasive species, which was endangering other native fish species. Let’s not forget that it is a fish that parasitizes and kills other fish, sucking their blood, so it was quite a headache.
Upon hearing this news, from England contacted the Great Lakes Fisheries Commissionwhose spokesman, Marc Gaden, was delighted to be able to send them some copies. Both countries reached an agreement, which ended with the shipment of a kilo of frozen lamprey meat to the United Kingdom.
There, the cake that was served to the queen on her jubilee was prepared. But curiously, after all that wandering, she didn’t eat it. Supposedly, and according to what was declared from the Royal House, everything was for safety reasons. Perhaps they did not want it to happen to him like Henry II.
Will Carlos III now bring a kilo of lamprey meat from the United States so as not to taste it? We will have to wait to find out if this time he also prioritizes security.