Running Head: BRIOCHE

Brioche
Kerry Nefferdorf
CIV

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Brioche

The famous statement If the poor have no bread, let them eat cake would be more
literally translated at let them eat brioche, although the brioche of the time had less butter and
eggs than the brioche we know today and was closer to white bread. The quote is generally
attributed to Marie Antoinette, as an embodiment of the dismissive attitude of the nobility
towards the poor which led to the French Revolution. It is unknown, however, who exactly said
it the only sure thing is that Rousseau attributed the quote to a great princess.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, brioche was used interchangeably with pain benit, a rich
bread that was blessed and distributed after Mass. By the 18th century, however, brioche had
become a rich mans bread, and the amount of butter in your brioche was proportional to your
wealth.
The word brioche is generally considered to have derived from the verb brier,
meaning to knead, although some maintain that it was invented in Brie, or even that one of the
original ingredients was Brie cheese. Whatever the origin of the word, it was first seen in print
in 1404.
The traditional form for brioche to take is brioche tte, a round bun with a head.
(Whether this started as a joke playing off of the quote attributed to Marie Antoinette who was
beheaded is unclear.) Brioche can also be formed into loaves (sometimes braided) or a crown
shape (brioche en couronne). A circular loaf topped with candied fruits known as Brioche des
Rois or Gteau des Rois is served around Epiphany in Provence, and eventually evolved into
the New Orleans King Cake (which is not made from brioche and does not contain butter).
Brioche can also be used in savory applications such as brie en croute (brie wrapped in brioche)
and passaladire (an onion tart with olives and anchovies). Brioche can be made into cinnamon

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rolls, and it can even be fried into doughnuts. It is generally considered excellent for French
toast and bread pudding.
Whichever great princess it was who made the iconic statement, its association with
Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution has ensured the iconic status of brioche as a cultural
and historic touchstone.

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Bibliography

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Gisslen,W.(2013).ProfessionalBaking(Sixthed.).Hoboken,NJ,UnitedStatesofAmerica:
JohnWiley&Sons.
Oliver,L.(2015,115).FAQ's:Bread.Retrieved210,2015,fromFoodTimeline:
http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodbreads.html#brioche
R,D.(2014,420).TheHistoryofBrioche.Retrieved210,2015,fromPrezi:
https://prezi.com/3hws7m1gazcd/thehistoryofbrioche/