Napoleonic Pleasures

A frustrated cookAlexandre Dumas (father), the famous novelist, father of so many heros, had a true passion for cooking. He used to say this taste was a gift from heaven. He liked to choose ingredients, roast joints of meat, slow-cook vegetables in casseroles etc. in the same way that he liked to talk about it. […]

Stew (“Le bouilli”)The stew (“pot-au-feu”, or “bouilli”) reigned supreme at 19th century dining tables. While soup whetted the appetite for a good meal to come, the stewed meat dish really ushered in the festivities, before the arrival of more sophisticated dishes. This recipe gives a good idea of the richness of Second Empire middle-class cooking: […]

Leg of hare was a dish frequently served at First Empire tables, during dinners which lasted the entire afternoon. In cities, dinner could equally well be at 2 pm as at 6 pm. The Revolution turned the mealtime routine upside down. Breakfast was eaten between 8 and 9 am, most often taking the form of a […]

The vegetable marketThis is a recipe for a vegetable terrine to accompany white or red meat. Garden vegetables featured prominently at banquets as part of the starter (hors d'oeuvres) and side dishes (entremets) courses. The king of the crop was the green bean, followed by asparagus, carrots, peas and turnips. In the early 19th century, […]

Eggs are good for youSecond only to meat when it comes to culinary diversity are eggs. This excellent foodstuff full of nourishment holds benefits for the healthy and sick, rich and poor alike.Fresh eggs soothe soreness of the chest; old ones are liable to upset those of a choleric or nervous temperament. To find out […]

This is a light dough thrown into boiling water which is then cooked for a few minutes in the oven. Children are particularly fond of these little cakes. Nowadays, little triangular cakes, flavoured with anise, are still sold in pâtisseries in the Auvergne region.

The Statistics of ‘Napoleonic France’ The Bibliothèque Martial-Lapeyre Fondation Napoléon Library has recently acquired two series of publications giving contemporary statistics for the France during the later Consulate and early Empire. These will serve as fundamental research tools for all those interested in the period. The first is a 'universal' dictionary (described in the Notice as […]

Galerie des enfans célébres, by M. le comte de Barins, 1836 This delightful little book for young people was published in 1836. It was written to give the girls and boys born during the Restoration a vision of their glorious predecessors, of all nations, rank and destiny, and it included four engravings. Here (if not […]

Quenching thirst: a passion for cordials On the street, people could quench their thirst from the liquorice water seller (“marchande de coco”), a familiar street figure who sold a refreshing drink made from liquorice wood and water, or by drinking lemonade (not yet fizzy lemon drink) sold by the guild of soft drinks manufacturers. At home, cordials […]

Almond flavourA blancmange is a dessert made from almond milk which has the consistency of a jelly.It was very popular all through the 19th century, when its smooth, pale appearance was appreciated. Nowadays, however, we might consider it to be rather bland. Similarly, the flavour of almond was greatly prized, whether in powdered or syrup […]