The original French phrase 'Qu'ils mangent de la brioche' was most reliably referred to by French Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a key figure in the Enlightenment in France, in Book 6 of his 12-volume autobiographical work Confessions: “At length I recollected the thoughtless saying of a great princess, who, on being informed that the country people had no bread, replied, "Then let them eat pastry!" Though the phrase is frequently attributed to Marie Antoinette, the “great princess” Rousseau speaks of is more likely Marie Therese (wife of Louis XIV) – a better fit considering supposed time frame and context.
Apparently stated in response to news that famine had robbed French peasants of even their bread, the statement poignantly shows the pampered ignorance of the French monarchy at the time – if the people have no money or supplies for basic sustenance, surely replacing it with butter-laden dessert bread would be both impossible and ridiculous. Also implied, however, is the realistic ranking of delicacies and culinary non-essentials in the search for survival and happiness; the delight that comes from the sweet, rich treat (that which the monarchy was accustomed to and took for granted) pales in comparison to the greatest pleasure of all – the relief from hunger. Severe hunger doesn’t discriminate between nuances and qualities of food, but focuses, instead, on obtaining quantities of it.
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