Tea at Trianon: Apple Pie Myths

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Apple Pie Myths

From Murrey and Blue:

In 1381 England, the first documented apple pie recipe was crafted without a single spoonful of sugar. Instead, this medieval masterpiece combined fresh apples, figs, raisins, and pears in a golden pastry crust tinted with precious saffron.

Medieval bakers relied on nature’s sweetness from dried fruits and honey, creating a sophisticated blend of flavors that would astonish modern taste buds. The pie was encased in a special pastry called a “cofyn,” reflecting the skilled craftsmanship of 14th-century English kitchens.

This original recipe laid the foundation for centuries of apple pie traditions across Europe and eventually America, though today’s versions bear little resemblance to their medieval ancestor. The use of expensive saffron suggests this wasn’t everyday fare, but rather a dish for special occasions. (Read more.)