How World War Two changed how France eats

Despite official attempts to frame this dietary shift as a choice for “higher-quality foods,”

What a convincing story, pasta is such a high-quality food /s

Interesting points.

An current example of how a war changes how people eat can be seen in Russia.

Russians Turn to Pasta and Bread Amid Record Potato Price Increases

>Russian consumers are increasingly substituting basic staples for once-affordable vegetables amid surging food prices and shrinking household budgets.

>The most striking example is potatoes, a longtime dietary cornerstone in Russia, whose average retail price rose by 173% year-over-year by the end of May, the steepest annual increase in the past 23 years ... Svetlana Misikhina, deputy director of the Center for Development at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, estimated that the affordability of potatoes has declined by nearly 45% over the past year.

>Other key products are showing similar trends: the average price of onions rose 41% year over year, while butter became 34% more expensive. As a result, the affordability of onions and butter fell by 17% and 15%, respectively.

>By contrast, the affordability of products like grains and pasta has improved by 12 and 14%, respectively, reflecting both relatively stable prices and increased consumer demand, Misikhina said.

>Despite official attempts to frame this dietary shift as a choice for “higher-quality foods,” the data paints a picture of economic strain.

Today, some French chefs and residents are reviving wartime staples like country bread

For as far as I remember, bakeries in my area sold country bread. It's not quite a comeback since it never disappeared.

I'd be interested to know how Germany managed to starve off most of Europe in the 40s but still manages to have a worse food culture than most of it