Note: I did not have any oven bowls so I had to shred the cheese instead of placing a large slice on top to melt.
Did you know that French onion soup is only “French” if you put the cheese on top? If you omit the cheese, then you have only onion soup. Did you know that onion soup was also seen as a hangover cure?
Onions…an ingredient that has been used in cooking since antiquity. Studying the history of food is rather fascinating. It is amazing to see how an ingredient or cooking method says a lot about the culture of a particular area. That is one aspect I have loved about this blog – researching different recipes and finding out all kinds of cool information.
If you google the history of French onion soup, you will find several versions. One particular version involves King Louis XV of France. Regardless of it origins, though, the onion was seen as a cheap, inexpensive ingredient, one that even the peasants had. And what is another food you attribute to France which is placed on top of onion soup? Bread. So, thinking about this time period (King Louis XV) and the peasants, what was life exactly like during this time?
Students study the basics of the French Revolution; however, the intricacies of the economic factors of this time are usually overlooked. Around nine years ago, I began working on an Economics curriculum that stemmed from my favorite novel – Les Miserables. For several years, I expanded the curriculum to incorporate not only excerpts from the novel but French history. So let’s look at what was really going on when Valjean stole a loaf of bread… (the following taken from snippets of my curriculum)
In 1787, France was on the brink of bankruptcy. As with many countries throughout history (Venezuela today), France began to print money (backed by church lands). Between 1789 and 1796, billions of assignats (currency) were printed. This caused hyperinflation. From 1795-1796, France’s DAILY inflation rate was 5%. How would that look today? Imagine a drink that cost $1.58 on day 1. In five days, that drink would now cost $1.92.
Not only was the value of the currency decreasing, causing hyperinflation, but just ten years before, in 1788, France suffered a drought, resulting in a poor harvest thus causing food prices to increase. Wheat was one particular crop that suffered (and wheat is used to make bread). Between 1785-1789, cost of living increased 62% with wages only increasing by 22%. By 1789, an average worker was spending anywhere between 24% to 97% of wages on bread (depending on job).
So what does this look like for the average French person during this time. In 1774 France, a loaf of bread cost 8 sous. By 1789 a loaf of bread cost 15 sous. Keeping price of bread at 15 sous, if inflation increased an average of 5% per day between 1795-1796, in five days, that loaf of bread would increase from 15 sous to 19.15 sous (remember, an average laborer was only making 15 sous per day).
Now consider this…Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread in 1795 and entered prison in 1796, becoming the infamous prisoner #24,601. Many of us consider a loaf of bread like a loaf we buy in a store. My students could not understand why he would receive prison time for stealing “just a loaf of bread.” However, you have to consider how poorly the French economy was and the cost of bread, not to mention that it was a staple in all diets. You have to consider that a loaf of bread was the equivalent of a day’s wage. Valjean got only five years in prison when many, during this time, were executed and killed for theft and hoarding of bread. And yes, Valjean’s five years turned in 19 years due to his four attempts of escape, only being released after the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815…and if you have never read the novel, do know that Valjean never justified his crime (which he committed to feed his sister’s 7 kids all under the age of 8). Valjean knew what he did was wrong but acted in “madness.” He also became more hardened the longer he was in prison, thinking the penalty was harsh compared to the crime. I digress…
So, when studying Les Miserables (watching the movie or reading the novel), it is important to consider the French economy and how food (specifically, bread) played a part in shaping history. To truly understand Valjean’s crime and penalty, you must contemplate the cost of bread and bread riots happening all over France. There is no way that one can understand the entire story unless you contemplate the economic factors that drove not only the French Revolution but years afterward. So did Marie Antoinette really say “Let them eat cake”? Well, that’s for another blog post…
Resources:
Here is a brief timeline of how food played a pivotal role in the French Revolution.
A great article about what inspired Victor Hugo to write Les Mis.
Oh…the cookbook review part (ha! forgot that part)… I love this cookbook. It is very basic (no color or fancy pictures) but the recipes are easy to follow. I also love the explanations given with many of the sections (why something was eaten a certain way or why a particular ingredient was used).
