- Marie Antoinette Drank Her Hot Chocolate With Orange Blossoms
When Marie Antoinette - a young princess from Vienna - arrived at the French court, she didn't come alone. In her retinue was none other than her personal chocolate chef. Among the many concoctions he whipped up for the queen was chocolate with orange blossoms, which yielded a rich, citrusy flavor. Marie Antoinette's love of chocolate was hardly unique amongst the ancien regime - men, women, and children in the 18th century had become wild about chocolate, and it was decidedly a treat reserved for the wealthy.
- Louis XIV's Court Feasted On Poached Truffles
Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles was basically an aristocratic universe of ritual and decadence - with Louis firmly at the center. Like Louis himself, who took dinner alone in his chambers in a highly ritualized manner, the courtiers of Versailles ate well. The food was just as over-the-top as their costumes and hair styles, especially since aristocrats tried to one-up each other with their menus. On the menu at the Marquis de Louvois's banquet in 1690, for example, were poached truffles. Truffles - which are decadent and expensive even today - would have been a delicious treat for the Marquis's hyper-privileged guests. Interestingly, in the preceding centuries, aristocrats would not be caught dead eating truffles; since they came from the ground, they had been considered to be peasant food.
- Oysters Were Worth Dying For
Oysters continue to appear on modern tables, but the aristocrats of pre-Revolutionary France went wild for them. Getting oysters and other seafood to the tables of the titled was no easy feat - fishermen and sellers in Paris developed a system over time that got seafood to the Paris markets early in the morning so that it could reach the aristocrats later in the day.
So beloved were oysters amongst French high society that ensuring one's employer had a ready supply of them was sometimes a stressful task. One chef - François Vatel - actually killed himself with his own sword after a delivery for a banquet failed to arrive on schedule.
- Chicken Cooked In Lamb Bladders Was A Fun Elite Treat
The 18th century saw an increase in the number of cookbooks that were published. These were not modern cookbooks, however. Often, directions were vague, and they did not use standard measurements. Still, these cookbooks are a window into a whimsical world of cooking in the 18th century, especially as cooks played to elite diners' appetites for novelty foods that would surprise their guests. One such dish was "chicken in bagpipes. Essentially, this dish involved chickens that were cooked in lamb bladders, which the cook was supposed to blow up (the pipes, get it?).
- One Royal Mistress Once Dined On A Bird Stomach
Madame de Pompadour was one of the most influential women of the 18th century. She was Louis XV's mistress, and her power extended far beyond the royal bedchamber. As a patron of the arts, she often entertained and even employed her own chef. Among the food prepared for Pompadour and her guests was "stomachs of riverside birds with sand-leek sauce." As unappetizing as that sounds, it's also an important lesson: by the middle of the 18th century, elite French men and women often crafted their menus for the effect and shock value, rather than for the food itself.
- They Pioneered Champagne Toasts On New Years Eve
Though all expensive wines were welcome at Versailles, one towered over the rest: champagne. Following techniques introduced by a monk, Dom Pérignon, in the 17th century, champagne became a popular drink amongst the well-heeled. Louis XIV also notably loved champagne. Love of champagne at Versailles would outlast the Sun King. Rumor has it that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette rang in the new year with champagne, thus starting a New Year's tradition that continues today.
- Marie Antoinette Would Only Drink Special Spring Water
Drinking water in an age before mass purification could be a risky business. So it's no surprise that Queen Marie Antoinette was persnickety about her water. The only water that did not make her ill was from a spring at Ville d'Avray, near Versailles. The fact that Marie Antonette drank pure water from a spring spoke volumes about class and privilege in an age when such delights were reserved for the wealthy. She was even allowed Ville d'Avray water when she was imprisoned during the French Revolution.
- French Elites Loved Brioche In The 18th Century
Brioche has a long history: the word was actually first used all the way back in the 15th century. But brioche as a rich, buttery bread began to develop in the 18th century. French aristocrats in particular fell hard for this hunk of bready goodness. Aristocrats could afford more butter and flour, so their brioches were far richer and more heavenly than those of the lower classes.
- They Ate Rolls Stuffed With Truffles And Cream Cheese
The croquette - a savory, breaded roll filled with meat - was hardly unique to France. In fact, versions of it exist in one form or another all around the world. But, François Massialot, one of the talented chefs working at Versailles, developed his own version, and the recipe appears in his cookbook, first published in 1691. Massialot's version was stuffed with a ragout, but he also made it with truffles and cream cheese.
- Breaded Foie Gras Had A Place On The Royal Table
Marie Antoinette was never really comfortable with the elaborate public dinners that had become ritualized at Versailles. In fact, she rarely ate in public and preferred to eat in private. At the same time, she was known to have some decadent meals from time to time. Among them was breaded foie gras, which was probably as decadent as one can imagine.
- They Loved Cakes Soaked In Wine
One of the most important names associated with French pastries is Nicolas Strohrer. Strohrer got his start working in the Polish royal court, and when Princess Marie Leczinska traveled to France to marry the young King Louis XV, Strohrer came too. He thus introduced the "baba" cake to the Versailles court - and they went mad for it. Baba - which is simply the French word for what is essentially a Polish bundt cake - was a cake that was soaked in fortified wine.
- They Noshed On Delicate Pastries Filled With Jam And Cream
The many-layered mille-feuille - also known today as napoleons - was a specialty of 18th-century pastry chefs. After all, the elite were attracted to delicate foods in the 18th century. There was perhaps nothing more delicate than a pasty comprised of several layers. The 18th-century mille-feuille differed from the modern one in a key respect: instead of cream holding together each layer, 18th-century pastry chefs used jam.
- They Drank Pumpkin Soup Out Of Pumpkins
Dinner was not just a social or functional experience. For elite 18th-century diners, it could also be an aesthetic experience. As such, how food was presented was part of the pleasure of dining. One cookbook from the 18th century includes a recipe for pumpkin soup that was to be served in a hollowed-out pumpkin that had been coated with meringue.
- Marie Antoinette Was Mad About Meringue
Like many foods, historians can't quite pin down the origins of meringue. Some even claim that Queen Marie Leczinska, the Polish wife of King Louis XV, brought meringue with her to the French court. But wherever it came from originally, it probably appeared at Versailles. Indeed, rumor also has it that Marie Antoinette loved to eat meringue.
- A Special Chicken And Mushroom Dish Was Named For The Queen
Queen Marie Leczinska does not get much love these days - nor did she get much love in her own lifetime, since her husband King Louis XV was infamous for keeping mistresses. But she was influential with the development of French cuisine. One popular dish from the court of Versailles was even named in her honor. Bouchée à la Reine is essentially a savory pastry with chicken and mushrooms.
https://www.ranker.com/
Is it all true ? Well actually I don't know.
Some of it no doubt and the rest quite decadent. But it is somehow interesting.
Accueil 
Sam 9 Mar - 15:03
