Quiche? Bah, not food for ‘real men’. Up until the 20th century, the pansy attitude towards quiche eaters stemmed from the lack of meat in the recipe. This savoury egg and cream-filled tart, as its name suggests, originated in Lorraine. In Medieval times, Lorraine, then known as Lothringen, was part of Germany. Indeed, the French term quiche derives from the German word for cake, kuchen. The Oxford Companion to Food (Oxford University Press) notes that the original recipe contained no meat, only egg and cream, but it’s the version with bacon and sometimes cheese which has come to be known as quiche Lorraine. If using different fillings, choose those which can withstand the long baking time.