The 'Madeleine' story
Stanislas, king of Poland used to have, as a second home, the castle of Commercy, in a small town of the Lorraine region (east part of France).
One day, in the year of grace 1755, he received, as guests, the great Voltaire and Madame du Châtelet, both known to him to have a sweet tooth. For this event, he ordered to his cook, a woman called Madeleine, to create a brand new sweet.
She then proposed to the king's guests small cakes with a fat belly who were declared to be excellent beccause, among other reasons, of their delicate bergamot orange flavour.
King Stanislas aprreciated them so much that he sent a parcel full of them to the king of France, Louis XV, in Versailles.
The cake became so successful that it was decided to call it "Cake of the Queen" but the queen prefered to call it "Madeleine", from the name of the one who invented this today famous cake.
And this is why the name of a modest cook of a noble house became famous for ever.
