Portrait of a young Caterina de 'Medici
On the account of Caterina de ’Medici there are many anecdotes, most of which, probably, fruit of imagination and aimed simply at ruining that reputation that she herself had compromised due to her alleged responsibility in the massacre of San Bartolomeo (1572).
Among the most good-natured rumors about Caterina, there are those concerning the relationship with food , including, just to give an example, the actual fixation that the queen would feed on foods that she considered aphrodisiacs, including courgettes, the thistle and the shallot.
However the woman, who certainly was a good fork, according to some sources, also loved onions, the broad beans, the mushrooms and celery .