Napoleons Contribution to the Modern World

 

That Wylde Woman, set just after the Napoleonic Wars, has a scene where guest at a ball are served delicious foods – out of season. How could that be? When researching information about the war and its aftereffects I discovered something valuable - used even today: Food preservation.

It is said that an Army travels on its belly. Napoleon knew this to be true. He had constant problems supplying food for his army. In 1795 Napoleon offered a 12,000 Frank prize for a method of food preservation. Nicolas François Appert, a confectioner, won the prize in 1809 creating the same boiling method used commercially and in our homes today: Canning in sterile jars.