A.3 German farmers and French nuns

Most of the French did not want to live on Native food, so the company that ran the colony looked for farmers. By 1721 several hundred Germans had arrived. They farmed about twenty miles upriver and sent fresh produce into the city. They also became fine bakers of French bread and pastry, and many of the best local bakeries still have Swiss and German names.

The Ursuline nuns arrived in 1727. They came from aristocratic and middle-class French families and brought the newest French cooking with them. Their agreement required them to plant an herb garden and teach its uses. A bay leaf went into soups and stews against souring, and into flour against weevils. Parsley was used to take away the smell of garlic.