FRENCH REVOLUTION

The French Revolution was a major event in Modern European history in 1789 in which the people who lived in France changed their countries land. The other major thing that happened during the French Revolution was there was a shortage of bread due to financial hardship that caused disturbance and people to get angry.
(History.com)

During the French Revolution there were a couple decades of bad harvests and a drought occurred which were both factors of bread prices being really high.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION CAUSED A MAJOR SHORTAGE IN THE BREAD SUPPLY

• The bread that made up most of the diet was not the traditional white bread because it was more expensive, but they ate bread that was made with a variety of grains, bakers threw sawdust and other fillers in there to maximize their profits
• Food was the biggest part of most people’s budgets, today is it a small part of it
• (Historyofyesterday.com)

“Europeans experienced a somewhat sporadic grain shortage for centuries due to bad weather and opportunistic speculators looking to raise prices of bread”
(Historyofyesterday.com)

The French Revolution was about several things, money, power, social groups, “Philosophical ideas- but it was also about food. It was of course necessary for survival, but also about wealth and status. Food helped to inspire the French Revolution.”
(Historyofyesterday.com)

In 1788 to 1789, there was another major shortage. The price of bread went up to as much as 88% of a workers salary. People could not even afford basic necessities such as food or water.
(Historyofyesterday.com)

Starving men and women not only took action against the government, but the bakers themselves. One baker was accused of hiding bread and was later forcibly taken by a mob and carried to a square in Paris. Even though he was proven innocent by the authorities, He was later hanged by the mob.
(historyofyesterday.com)

Poor grain harvests led to riots back in 1529 in the French city of Lyon. Thousands looted and destroyed the houses of rich people, which led to the grain from the granary spilling onto the streets. Things got much worse in the 18th century. In the 1760s, the king has been counseled by Physiocrats, a group of economists who believed that the wealth of nations was derived solely from the value of land development and that auricular products should be highly priced.
(history.com)

Some classic dishes from the French Revolution are:

. French Onion Soup
. Bouillabaisse a la Marseillaise
. Crepes
. A basic Quiche
. A French Omelet

Myrecipes.com

Recipes Continued:

Classic French Omelet
1/8 Teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/8 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 large eggs, divided
1 teaspoon butter, divided

My.recipes.com

Strawberry-Banana Crepe:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 to 2 tbsp butter
• Filling:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• Topping:
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 medium firm bananas, sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar, optional

French Onion Soup

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 lbs medium onions, thinly sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 slices baguette
• 1 1/2 cups Gruyère, shredded

BOUILLABAISSE A LA MARSEILLAISE (food.com)

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 3 1/2 cups funnel, cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 cups leeks
• 1 1/2 cups red onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 TBSP dried orange peel
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 TBSP dill
• 1 tsp saffron thread
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups boiling water
• 1 fish head
• 2/3 cups parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
• 3 Lbs mix skinless lean white fish
• 3 Lbs mix shellfish such as lobsters, scampi, prawns, mussels, clams, scallops, etc

Some Books about the French revolution are:

-A Bite Sized History of France: Gastronomical Tales of Revolution, War and Enlightenment.
-A Revolution in Taste: The Rise of French Cuisine, 1650-1800

I picked the French Revolution topic because I have always been fascinated by different foods and learning about how to cook them. I have taken several Culinary Arts classes in high school, so that is why I wanted to learn about Foods during the French Revolution.

Additionally, my parents were missionaries in France, so I have always been interested in learning more about the country. I was also fascinated to learn about the foods during that time period.

Finally, before doing this project, I didn’t know much about the French Revolution, but now after doing it I have a better understanding of how significant it was in History. It was eye opening to learn about the shortage of bread, and it was startling to read about how bakers were affected by it.

Websites Used:

Historyofyesterday.com

History.com

My.recipes.com

An article I found is:
“The French Revolution- and it’s Aftermath” by Christopher Pierson