This is a preview of the content in our French Food Decoder app. Get the app to:
  • Read offline
  • Remove ads
  • Access all content
  • Use the in-app Map to find sites, and add custom locations (your hotel...)
  • Build a list of your own favourites
  • Search the contents with full-text search functionality
  • ... and more!
iOS App Store Google Play

margarine

the butter substitute invented in France

Emailschild der ADI Margarine Belgien

The year was 1869, and there were food shortages across France. Emperor Napoleon III declared there would be a prize for whoever could invent a long-lasting substitute for butter (corps gras semblable au beurre, mais de prix inférieur, apte à se conserver longtemps sans s'altérer en gardant sa valeur nutritive) to feed his armies.

A French chemist named Hippolyte Mege-Mouries won with his beef tallow, milk and water based creation he called ‘margarine’ from the Greek μάργαρον, márgaron or ‘pearl white’ combined with glycerine.

Commercially, however, it wasn’t a great succeess, and in1878, Mege-Mouries sold the patent to a Dutch company that eventually through mergers became Unilever.

In the early 20th century, shortages of beef fat and lard led to the creation of modern vegetable-based easy-to-spread margarine. Today there’s a wide choice...although most no longer use the word ‘margarine’ on the label.

Composition de différentes margarines

Re the fat content:

margarine must have spreadable fats with a fat content greater than or equal to 80%

If it’s à teneur réduite en matière grasse or allégée it has fat content of 41% up to and including 62%.

If it’s à faible teneur en matière grasse or léger it has a fat content of 41% or less.

Cheese and dairy

Text © Dana Facaros

Images by Exocet64, Schilderjagd