Who invented whipped cream?
If the creamy vanilla cream is famous all over the world, its origin remains a mystery even today. And as often, many theories feed the subject.
Some say that this whipped cream has its origins in Italy in the 16th century. It would be Queen Catherine de Medici who would have imported it into France during her marriage to Henri II. Whipped cream was then called "neve di latte" (milk snow). But historians say the recipes don't yet include sugar, so it's not real whipped cream (but it's a start).
The most widespread theory designates François Vatel as the inventor of creamy cream. Vatel was a very famous intendant (a butler) in the 17th century. In 1671, he organized a reception for Louis II de Bourbon-Condé in honor of King Louis XIV at the Château de Chantilly. It is said that there would have been a shortage of cream and that Vatel would have whipped the little cream he had in his possession to give it volume. Except that if he did indeed have a pastry chef's training, Vatel did not cook, his job was above all to be a steward. And on the menu, no cream appears… So again, the mystery remains.
A more probable theory has also made its way. The historiographer Jean-Baptiste-Bonaventure de Le Grand d'Aussy wrote in 1780 that whipped cream was an invention of the Procope glacier. The son of the founder of the very first café in Paris of the same name is said to have developed the recipe during the Chantilly celebrations given in honor of the Dauphin and future King Louis XV in 1722.
The term “chantilly cream” only really appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. It will be necessary to wait for the 20th century and its entry into cookbooks for it to really become popular.
There is even a Brotherhood of Whipped Cream Whipping Knights. Their objective: "to promote whipped cream and its history to the general public, to promote knight restaurateurs in the context of interventions with the general public or professionals and to represent restaurateurs who offer real Chantilly cream".
A whole appetizing program!
