My question is about food and history. I watched a TV documentary that says in the era of Marie Antoinette, marinade of raw tuna fish was eaten. I wonder if it is true. Thank you very much in advance.

Ma question porte sur la nourriture et l'histoire. J'ai regardé un documentaire télévisé qui raconte qu'à l'époque de Marie-Antoinette, on mangeait de la marinade de thon cru. Je me demande si c'est vrai. Merci beaucoup d'avance.

I prefer to English in answers. Thank you very much.

See a translation

As Marie-Antoinette was known for her extravaganza it could have happened once maybe but it definitely wasn't a recurring thing. Game meat was much more popular and noble at the time. Fish was eaten more in coastal cities.

Here is an article on fishing and fish industry in France in the XVIII century.

https://www.histoire-genealogie.com/La-peche-au...

Here is the translation of the consumption part of the article.

Fish in the diet (France, XVIII century)

The product of fishing, in the 18th century, was used to feed maritime populations and cities. Coastal populations are less prone to food shortages thanks to fish. The use of fish in the food ration was very variable depending on the distance to the sea because the means of distribution and transport are very limited. Thus "the supply of Paris in fresh fish, salted and prepared for transport, comes from Dieppe. Fished on Wednesday night, it is carried very quickly by the carts of the hunt-tide merchants who arrive at the markets by the road from the faubourg Fishmonger in the early morning of Friday ". Fresh fish, representing the most important quantity produced after cod, is reserved for the population living near the fishing ports; elsewhere, it is a luxury item. However, fish remains a marginal product in the overall diet because it represents between 1 and 5% of general consumption, it is a product little known in the countryside. According to Gérard Le Bouëdec, fish is an expensive product compared to agricultural products. Fresh fish is worth sixty-five times the bread, six times the meat and ten times the eggs. Salted fish is the most consumed form because it is easily transported. Fish consumption is strongly influenced by religious principles. Indeed, the Christian calendar imposes 116 days of lean and since medieval times, fish is considered the lean food par excellence. This lean day constraint will tend to relax and the demand for fish will suffer and decline due to this habit of eating only on lean days [8].

But did the people of the sea, the sailors and their families eat a lot of fish? It is difficult to comment on food on land because historians have found few sources on this subject. Alain Cabantous [9] cites the testimony of the doctor Tully on the food conditions of the working classes of Ostend including most probably the sailors showing that fish was part of the food but with a quality leaving something to be desired: "the people drink beer […] eats half-spoiled cod, salmon and old-fashioned salted herrings and other villenies”.

On the other hand, at sea, we have more elements indicating that fish is included in the sailor's food ration. On vessels operating the deep sea, it is taken on board in the form of salted fish and thus the daily menu of the crew of a ship of the Compagnie des Indes is "[of] a pound and a half (735 grams) of fresh bread [and] eight ounces (250 grams) of salted meat on fat days, or the equivalent in fish and cheese on lean days, as well as four ounces (120 grams) of pulses. [10]” In general, the fish on board these vessels was salt cod.

This is also the case for vessels engaged in cod fishing where the staple food is mainly bread, salted meat and pulses, but also fresh fish which is offered at will on board.

Recommended books:

1. History of maritime fisheries in France under the direction of Michel Mollat ​​– Editions Privat – 1987.

2. The large market - The food supply of Paris under the Old Regime - Reynald Abad - Editions fayard - 2002