Paris Salons and Chestnut Soup with Lobster (What Adam Smith Ate)

By 1764, Adam Smith had resigned from university teaching and was in France serving as tutor to the young Duke of Buccleugh. They passed through Paris where David Hume was stationed as secretary to the British Embassy, then proceeded to Toulouse. At that time, Toulouse was a regional capital and a popular stop on the European Grand Tour. 

For two years, Smith was able to study the regional parliament system and begin what would become his seminal work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the  Wealth of Nations. After their stay in Toulouse, Smith and his pupil toured the south of France, met Voltaire in Geneva, then returned to Paris.

By late 1765, Hume had been dismissed from his post in Paris, so was gone by the time Smith arrived. However, Hume ensured his friend was introduced to the best minds in Paris. Smith was a leading philosopher of the day and as Smith biographer E.G. West notes “Already there had been one translation into French of The Theory of Moral Sentiments.”  

One popular way to gather and exchange idea was the salon. Salons were gatherings and dinners often hosted in someone’s home where scholars of all social classes could gather and discuss ideas. Many of the most significant salons of the day were hosted by women who could further their own education by bringing together philosophers, naturalists, and political theorists as well authors, poets, and playwrights. 

Smith quickly became friends with Dr. François Quesnay, an economist and physician who had served King Louis XV. Quesnay hosted his own salon called “the Physiocrats” which Smith often attended. 

West also notes Smith was a regular at Paul-Henri Thiry Baron d’Holbach’s weekly dinners. Holbach was a leading figure of the French Enlightenment and an encyclopédiste, one of the members of the French society developing the Encyclopedia of the time. His salon was one of the most prestigious in Paris – and unlike others, was limited to men only. At Baron d’Holbach’s, Smith frequently met with other scholars and their guests including Turgot, Diderot, and the Abbé Morellet.

Morellet would go on to become one of Smith’s closest friends in Paris and recorded that their conversations included many aspects of banking, commerce, money, and financial theory and “various points in the great work which Smith was then meditating.” He described Holbach’s salon as “the place to hear the freest, most animated, and most instructive conversation that ever was ... in regard to philosophy, religion, and government; light pleasantries had no place there.”

A salon generally featured a meal and discussion which lasted late into the evening. Skilled chefs were in demand among the cities hosts and elites in the grand houses of Paris – called “hotels.” It was common during the time for most people to only eat 2 meals per day with the largest meal served in the late afternoon. (The exact times varied by locale, social class, and the fashion of the day.)  

A formal meal in the style of early modern France featured – at the very least – l’aperitif, l’entrée (which is an early course), before the premier plat or multiple regular courses. Each course might feature multiple dishes and could include exotic fruit, meats, carefully crafted fish and vegetable dishes, bread, cheeses, and elaborate desserts featuring fancy sugar work and marzipan decorations. 

Soup was a perfect dish to make for a formal dinner with seasonal vegetables which could be garnished with a luxurious treat such as seafood or truffles. An excellent chef could make something humble – like an onion soup – shine for the guests, although it was more common to present a rich soup thickened with cream.

In this soup, we’re celebrating the humble chestnut. In Europe, the bounty from the chestnut tree is often roasted in street carts and served in paper cones with the hard shell ready to peel. During the winter, they can be time consuming to roast and peel at home. (Unlike in 18th century Paris, you probably don’t have kitchen full of cooks.) It’s easier to buy the chestnut meats in jars or vacuumed sealed packages. These hearty, starchy nutmeats seem slightly sweet so lend a nice quality to this velouté de châtaignes garnished with lobster.

Chestnut soup with lobster

·         8 oz freshly cooked lobster tail and claw meat, chopped

·         1 lb of roasted chestnuts (5-3.5 oz vacuum sealed pouches or 1-15oz jar)

·         3 tbsp butter, divided 

·         ½ cup chopped carrots

·         ½ cup chopped celery

·         ½ cup sliced leek

·         ½ tsp herb de Provence

·         Salt and white pepper

·         ½ cup chopped shallot

·         1/3 cup sherry or marsala wine

·         6 cups vegetable stock, divided 

·         4 tbsp chopped chives

1.        Steam lobsters (whole or in pieces), then pick the meat and chop.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

2.       Drain chestnuts (if necessary). Roughly chop and set aside. 

3.       In a large soup pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then add the carrots, celery, and leek.  Sauté until softened. Season with salt and pepper and herb de Provence. 

4.       Add the shallots and the remaining butter. Sauté until soft and the vegetables have absorbed the butter and begin to brown.

5.       Deglaze the pot with the sherry or marsala and scrape up any browned bits. Add 4 cups of the vegetable stock and the chestnuts. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook for at least 30 minutes checking the level of stock to ensure there is plenty.

6.       Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. Return the soup to the pot.  If you making the soup ahead of time, refrigerate it now. 

7.       To finish the soup, while hot, add the remaining stock as needed to thin the soup to a spoonable consistency. (It should be soup and pour out of the spoon, not puree.)  Re-season as needed with salt and white pepper.  Add the cream.  

8.       Serve in piping hot bowls and garnish with the lobster meat and chives.   You can substitute crab meat, langoustine, or even small shrimp for the lobster. To make the soup vegetarian, omit the seafood and reserve ½ cup of chopped chestnuts for the garnish.

Want to learn more?
 
Renee Wilmeth's What Adam Smith Ate: A Restaurant in Paris (Chicken Fricassee with Creamy Herb Sauce)
Amy Willis' #ReadWithMe: Ritchie Robertson’s The Enlightenment Part 4: Sympathy and Sociability
Carl Oberg's The 18th Century and Social Networking
Niall Ferguson’s book The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, From the Freemasons to Facebook
Alice Temnicks' AMA with Leo Damrosch on his acclaimed book, The Club.