
Margarine | agriculture commodities -
food sciences | Margarine was first invented in France by a
chemical expert named Hippolyte Mege-Mouries in 1869. The discovery of
margarine is actually triggered by the situation in
France at the time where the
price of
butter is very expensive so many people who can not afford it. This happens as a result of the influence of
industrial revolution where a lot of farmers who left the farm and go for the city and work in
industries. Consequently, there is a shortage of
production so the price of
butter became expensive because of high demand. To overcome this situation then in 1869 Napoleon III as ruler of France at that time held a contest and will give prizes to anyone who can find a cheap butter substitute, a replacement would have
properties such as butter.
Hippolyte Mege-Mouries won the competition because he was able to find what is desired by Napoleon III is a cheap substitute for butter. Mege-Mouries named his
invention with
margarine, the name is derived from
Greek words "
margarites" that have meaning "
pearl". Named the pearl because the fat of
margarine when forming dense granules shaped like a shiny crystal of pearls.