Louis de Bechamel

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Louis de Béchameil, marquis de Nointel (1630 – 1703) was a French financier.

[edit] Life

Son of Jean-Baptiste Béchameil,[1] Louis was a rich farmer and superintendent to the house of the Duke of Orléans, intendant of Brittany, and art lover. In 1670, Béchameil bought the marquisat of Nointel and later became Louis XIV's headwaiter.

Béchameil with his wife, Marie Colbert (d. April 3, 1686) had two children, Marie Louise Béchameil de Nointel (1661 - April 2, 1740) and Louis Béchameil de Nointel (1649 - December 31, 1718).

Following a reorganisation of the Britanny kingdom's Chamber of Accounts of 1669, a commission (1680) was set up and leaded by Béchameil de Nointel, as an intendant where he wrote a report to attest what he saw. This document which mentions the frauds of the Chamber's deposits, shows the favors given to the crown and tries to to end such flaws will initiate a new law instigated by Charles Colbert to the Brittany Chamber in 1681. In 1698, Béchameil will publish another document focusing on the fiscal system.[2]

[edit] Béchamel sauce

The white sauce (fr. sauce béchamel) acquired its name from him for he perfected an ancient type of sauce made from cream originally made by François Pierre de la Varenne (1615 - 1678), cook of marquis d'Uxelles. The sauce was dedicated to Béchameil to flatter him upon what Duke of Escars made a comment :[3]

That fellow Béchameil has all the luck! I was serving breast of chicken à la crème more than 20 years before he was born, but I have never had the chance of giving my name to even the most modest sauce.

(« Est-il heureux, ce petit Béchameil ! J’avais fait servir des émincés de blancs de volaille à la crème plus de vingt ans avant qu’il fût au monde et, voyez, pourtant je n’ai jamais eu le bonheur de pouvoir donner mon nom à la plus petite sauce ! »)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bérenger, Jean & Jean Meyer. (1976) La Bretagne à la fin du XVII° siècle, Klincksieck. p. 7. ISBN 2-252-01889-5.
  2. ^ [http://www.uhb.fr/sc_sociales/crhisco/ABPO/art2001-4.htm La Chambre des comptes de Bretagne à l'époque moderne Quelques perspectives générales]. Université Rennes 2. Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
  3. ^ Montagne, Prosper. (2003) The Concise Larousse Gastronomique, Octopus Publishing Group -Hamlyn. p. 93. ISBN 0-600-60863-8.
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