The Diet of Frenchmen

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Nov 27, 1879

The Diet of Frenchmen.

IN an able article on kitchen management in France, the Boston Journal of Chemistry gives some interesting facts with reference to the diet of the French peasantry. It states that "dark bread made from whole wheat and barley, is the only kind used." "Scarcely any butter or cheese find their way to the tables of the poorer classes." "A large piece of meat is rarely seen upon the tables of even the richer classes in France; the portion is usually small, and the meal is supplemented with a fair allowance of soup, bread, and vegetables. This management does not lessen the attractiveness of meals, nor indicate unpleasant parsimony." "They have learned that the sweetest and most nutritious bread is made from wheat, barley, and rye, ground finely, but unbolted. Their bread is dark, but of excellent quality."

"The average earnings of laborers in France do not exceed thirty cents a day, and yet from this pittance they continue to live comfortably. The average of health in the population is much higher than in most countries, and the average length of life is as high as thirty-eight years."