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FeedAug 9, 201211:56 AMFood & Dining
Tasty Tidbits and Food For Thought
June Jubilee
(page 1 of 2)
It had been a busy week. The first full week of Summer 2012 began with some spectacles. There was the rare Transit of Venus across the sun. And throughout the week, most local school districts finished up classes, leading up to year-end graduation ceremonies full of pomp and circumstance.
Finally, the week is ended with the lavish Belmont Stakes, although the dazzle of anticipation for that race had been dimmed by the withdrawal of the champion horse "I'll have another", due to a leg injury, thereby dashing his hopes for the elusive Triple Crown.
But the biggest spectacle of them all was the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated her 60-year reign with a parade and party not rivaled for centuries. Let's face it....no-one can out-spectacle a British monarch that has reigned 60 years.
How does this relate to food, you ask?
Well, believe it or not, there is a series of different versions of chicken salad dishes that were created for the event of the Jubilees of British monarchs. Jubilee often means the celebration of the anniversary of a ruler. It can also refer to a celebration or a fair, such as Jubilee Day in Mechanicsburg, which is the largest one-day street fair in the county, and which was held back on June 21st in downtown Mechanicsburg this year.
In any event a Jubilee generally refers to something grand.
There are several variations of Jubilee chicken recipes which have been promogated over the last seventy-five years or so. These recipes are all variations of a curry flavored chicken salad. Contrary to what its name implies, this dish is not over-the-top lavish dinner party fare.
The explanation I first heard of the dish is that it was created so that commoners could make it ahead of time, eat it as a salad or make sandwiches with it, and have the day free to watch the celebrations. Consequently, it is a perfect make-ahead summer dish too (and even better with a few of my tweaks which I will divulge later).
