A French Emperor once devised a competition to see who could produce this product for the armed forces. Up until quite recently it was illegal to sell this item coloured, and is still illegal in parts of Canada. There was even a time when laws enforced manufacturers to change the look of it altogether just to put people off buying it. What is it, and who won the prize from the French government?

lanfranco

Well, what came immediately to mind was Napoleon's prize for a better way to preserve military rations. The prize was won by Nicholas Appert, who packed food into bottles and sterilized them. Tin cans came a bit later. However, I haven't come up with a Canadian connection. I'll keep looking, but someone else might enjoy the search ... http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16682285&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=a-canned-history-of-tinned-food--name_page.html Mar 12 06, 8:26 PM

peasypod

Ooooh, Frankiebabe, try again, m'dear. Mar 12 06, 8:33 PM

lanfranco

I was just about to. How about magarine? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarine Mar 12 06, 8:36 PM

lanfranco

That's Hippolyte Meges-Mouries for the inventor of oleomargarine. Fantastic name. Mar 12 06, 8:40 PM

peasypod

Bingo, and not only the armed forces but the 'less prosperous classes' needed a cheaper alternative. Hippolyte Mege-Mouries managed to have his suet, milk, bicarb soda, pork and beef offal concoction patented in 1869. Mar 12 06, 8:45 PM

Baloo55th

...and nowadays about the only thing you can get (here in the UK) called margarine is Stork. All the rest of it is called 'spread'. Probably margarine is a bit too down-market. None of it looks like the original must have done - the name comes from Greek margaron meaning pearl. Mar 13 06, 1:28 PM