What did people eat in the French countryside in the 1930s?

The 1930s, in the countryside, was neither the folklore of living museums nor the upheaval of urban modernity. It was a sober world, sometimes harsh, but rich in knowledge and traditions. On farms, hamlets, or mountain pastures, people ate what they produced, what they raised, what they transformed. It was a cuisine of the seasons, of necessity, of common sense, and the cauldron, still present, still played its role.

Local cuisine

The vast majority of food comes from the farm itself or from local trade. We buy little. We process a lot. The pantry is a mix of fresh, dried, smoked, salted, candied, or fermented ingredients.

The vegetable garden, the epicenter of a revolution

While French cuisine has evolved over the millennia, the greatest upheaval is undoubtedly linked to the introduction of vegetables from the New World.

In rural France in the 1930s, many vegetables now considered "traditional" actually had exotic origins. Gradually introduced since the Great Discoveries, vegetables from the New World—particularly Central and South America—found their way into French vegetable gardens through a slow process of acclimatization, aided or hindered by regional climatic conditions.

Among the most emblematic is the tomato, long viewed with suspicion and initially cultivated as an ornamental plant. It wasn't until the late 19th century that it became fully edible in the eyes of the general public. By the 1930s, it was well established in the southern countryside, where its cultivation was productive. However, in more northern regions, its presence remained more discreet.

Peppers and eggplants, also native to the American continent, are also primarily confined to warm climates. Their cultivation remains marginal in the countryside north of the Loire. However, they are frequently found in southern vegetable gardens, particularly in areas near the Mediterranean, where they are easily integrated into Provençal and Nicoise cuisine.

Squash and its related varieties, such as zucchini, are more tolerant of temperate climates. They are therefore grown in most rural areas, particularly for soups and stews, which are nutritious and inexpensive dishes. Although their American origins are forgotten, these vegetables play a fundamental role in the daily diet of rural people.

The potato, for its part, is undoubtedly the most successful example of the integration of a New World vegetable into the French agricultural landscape. Since Parmentier, its cultivation has become widespread throughout the country. By 1930, it was no longer seen as a curiosity, but as a pillar of rural subsistence.

Finally, more discreet vegetables like beans (in their green, red, or white forms) or corn find their place depending on the soil and local customs. Beans are widely used in vegetable gardens, eaten fresh or dried, while corn is often reserved for animal feed.

Thus, in 1930, the presence of New World vegetables in the French countryside was neither uniform nor systematic. It was the result of a slow process of botanical, but also cultural, adaptation, shaped by local conditions: climate, agricultural practices, culinary traditions, and popular perception.

These vegetables now make up an essential part of the French food repertoire and redefine new regional culinary particularities...

Soups, stews, casseroles: cooking in a cauldron

Although the Gaulish cereal world has deserted the plates, and barley and spelt have given way to potatoes and beans, the cauldron is still widely used. It stays hot all day. Water, vegetables, and bacon are added, and stale bread is dipped in it. It is a traditional, family-style cuisine.

The cauldron remains the heart of the home...the symbol of the hearth...