Depending on who you ask she was a historical villain a victim of circumstance or a symbol of royal excess. Yes Marie Antoinette was to say the least a complicated figure. The last queen of France before the French Revolution that began in 1789 Marie Antoinette has become synonymous with the luxurious excesses of the French royal court the sprawling and infamous Versailles. Perhaps this is because of that pesky “let them eat cake” quote that has been wrongly attributed to Marie Antoinette for centuries. Or perhaps it has to do with the opulent Rococo aesthetic associated with her image: her piled-up powdered hair known as the Pouf for example; or the stacks of colorful French macarons and cakes piled high with ornaments that echo the draperies of Marie Antoinette’s large structured gowns.
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Why is Marie Antoinette so controversial? – Carolyn Harris
Marie Antoinette’s eating habits have become a historical fixation and cultural touchstone but there are a few lesser-known Marie Antoinette food facts. In addition to the piles of macarons and tarts Marie Antoinette also had a particular penchant for eating out-of-season fruit. And no this doesn’t mean she got her fruit from the bargain bin. Rather this habit was another manifestation of the crown’s luxurious tendencies as Marie Antoinette’s penchant for out-of-season fruit was a product of the Potager du Roi a sprawling garden near Versailles. This garden produced many extravagant dishes regardless of the season putting the wealth inequality in France on full display.
While Marie Antoinette had her share of off-season and luxury produce—from strawberries to specially cultivated pineapples in the winter—her eating habits while indulgent for the time were not unusual by the standards of the French crown. In fact her fondness for off-season fruits long predates her time in France dating back to her husband Louis XVI's great-great-great-grandfather Louis XIV.
Louis XIV ruled from 1643 to 1715 and was in fact responsible for many of the French royal traditions. For example he was the monarch responsible for moving the French court to Versailles a palace outside of Paris that served as the center of the French royal family. The king consolidated power by having courtiers and nobility live with him at Versailles.
