The French connection — Napoleon's influence on food is still being felt today

History doesn't forget a man like Napoleon Bonaparte. And neither does the culinary world, which still feels his influence 200 years later.

Napoleon I (1769—1821) was a general during the French Revolution who rose to become emperor of the French (empereur des Francais). He conquered most of Europe while opponents in Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia declared him "an enemy of humanity."

But he apparently ate well.

His reign at the turn of the 18th century saw the rise of French haute cuisine — what Americans usually think of as "gourmet cooking" — and the first celebrity chef. He's credited with the saying, "An army marches on its stomach" and for fostering the idea of canning as a way to preserve food.

And he's part of the legends surrounding a few dishes, such as Chicken Marengo, Lobster Thermidor and napoleon pastries, some of which fall into the George-Washington-chopping-down-cherry-trees category. But they do make interesting tales.

The French Revolution is associated with the doomed Marie Antoinette's famous saying, "Let them eat cake." Perhaps Napoleon remembered this when he became dictator, as he exercised strict control over the prices of food staples, according to "The Age of Napoleon" edited by Horizon (American Heritage Publishing Company, 1963).

"I fear insurrection when they are caused by hunger," he was quoted as saying. "I would be less afraid of a battle against an army of two hundred thousand."

The canning industry

The quote "An army marches on its stomach" is attributed to Napoleon (as well as Frederick the Great). During Napoleon's military campaigns, French soldiers suffered numerous casualties from malnutrition, scurvy and starvation.

In 1795, the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs for a method of preserving food for use by the army and navy. Chef Nicolas Appert began experimenting in his workshop at Massy, near Paris, and in 1810 was awarded the prize for his method of packing food in bottles, corking them and submerging them in boiling water to stop spoilage, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia (Sixth Edition).

The method is based on the idea that heat destroys or neutralizes the ferments that cause food spoilage. With his prize money, Appert opened the world's first commercial cannery.

The glass-jar concept was replaced with tin or wrought-iron canisters (later shortened to "cans") which were both cheaper to make and easier to transport. Until can openers were invented, soldiers would pierce the cans open with bayonets or smash them open with rocks.

Chicken Marengo