In 1942, during the Second World War, citizens lived on average with 1,110 calories per day. This calorie deficit resulted from the food restrictions which continued, even after the end of the conflict in 1945, since access to food remained regulated by the French government until 1949. Basic food in France, such as cheese, bread or even meat, were mainly concerned.
These food shortages had such deep consequences on the way in which the French were nourished during the war, which they persisted in the decades that followed. Some foodstuffs have been anchored on their table on their table on a daily basis, when others, recalling the war period too much, have been abandoned. In an article, the BBC returns to these changes.
During the Second World War, the French had to find substitutes to hold, when certain foods were restricted, even not found. This is the case, for example, of saccharin which replaced the sugar, the lard or margarine which took the place of butter or even roots and other cereals (like acorns, chickpeas or barley) which was roasted at home and which gave the illusion of coffee.
One of the most striking examples of these substitutes that have kept a place in the food of the French remains chicory. Since the 1950s, Chicory, still very popular in the north of France, has been available in supermarkets. According to Patrick Rambourg, French culinary historian and author of the book History of French cuisine and gastronomyif chicory has never completely disappeared in France, it is largely thanks to its flavor. “Chicory is tasteful,, he advances. It does not necessarily evoke periods of austerity. ”
Those that we (re) discover
However, all the foods adopted during the restrictions have not had the same success after the war. This is the case, for example, root vegetables (such as rutabagas or Jerusalem artichokes) which, according to the historian of the Second World War Fabrice Grenard, were “More reserved for animals before the war”. After rationing potatoes in November 1940, the root vegetables took a large place in the food of the French.
Forced to eat it during the conflict, many of them have had a bad memory and these vegetables have gradually become taboos. “My mother has never cooked Rutabaga from her life”reveals the author Kitty Morse, who published Bitter Sweet: A Wartime Journal and Heirloom Recipes from Occupied France In 2023, a book bringing together the recipes of his rear grands-parents during the war.
On the bread side, the white baguettes which, before the Second World War, were not subject to the same prices imposed as those for sourdough bread, experienced considerable boom. In August 1940, bread was one of the first products to be rationed. The white bread was supplanted by darker crumb versions, enriched with sound, chestnut, potato or buckwheat.
The demand for white bread exploded after the conflict. But today the trend has changed: the consumption of chopsticks dropped by 2.5% between 2015 and 2025. The popularity of so -called “special” breads, made from whole or old cereals, is increasing.
A renewed popularity that has been allowed, while war memories are fading, by a multitude of young chiefs and creators. The latter bring food up to date that once allowed the French to survive, from root vegetables to special breads.
