© 2020 Atlas Obscura. Ever eager to increase food supplies, he also studied the bread manufacturing industry and proposed novel ways of grinding flour, which thereby increased it by one-sixth. Antoine-Augustin de Parmentier (1737-1813), an eminent physician who wanted to introduce the potato into the French diet, decided that the best way to break through the prejudice was to recruit the good offices of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. A copy of Parmentier’s treatise found its way to Jefferson’s library at Monticello, and it may be that Thomas Jefferson brought what would become the French fry back with him and served it at a White House dinner. No purchase necessary. Parmentier’s work by then included researching beet sugar and corn. It is an intrinsic part of the mission of the nobility to be always on the alert for ways to protect and advance the common good of society. Once potatoes are cooked, drain and smash them in the same pan with butter, over low heat. This insight, this grasping of the nature and potential of proposed remedies to social problems, and the promotion of these remedies to society at large is something that kings and nobles have down repeatedly down through the ages. Peel the potatoes, cut them into four pieces, put potatoes in cold, salted water and then bring to boil. Parmentier showing potatoes to Louis XVI. So, he encouraged the raising and eating of potatoes, and this resulted in a 15% increase in the production of potatoes. How researchers collect genetic info without disturbing the majestic primates. The tomb of history's greatest potato promoter is surrounded by tubers. France and other European states were beginning to institutionalize food production. Unique histories from the 18th and 19th centuries, Excerpt of a BBC interview with Geri on May 1, 2017, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), View 18thcand19thc’s profile on Instagram, View 117631667933120811735’s profile on Google+, Marie Antoinette’s Confidante: The Rise and Fall of the Princesse de Lamballe, Napoleon’s Downfall: Madame Récamier and Her Battle With the Emperor, Jane Austen’s Cousin: The Outlandish Contess De Feuillide, Thomas Neill Cream: Lambeth Poisoner and Serial Killer, Madame Moustache: The Notorious Life of Eleanor Dumont, Mary Ann Cotton: Female Serial Killer of the 1800s, Wyld’s Great Globe: A 1850s and 1860s London Attraction, Ina Coolbrith: First California Poet Laureate. Parmentier started by going to scientific institutions and the Faculty of Medicine in Paris. Nobility, The state was very interested in martialing up big populations so they could have lots of soldiers and workers.”. To that end, in 1793, the group that oversaw food supplies, the Commission on Subsistence and Provisions, printed ten thousand copies of a pamphlet composed by Parmentier that described potato cultivation.