Biscuiterie H. Rault It is around 1735 that French governor Mahe de Labourdonnais introduced the manioc (Cassava) tuber (from South America) in Mauritius. The root was widely cultivated by all sugar mills as of course it could feed people but also the cattle bred for the towing of cane carts. Around 1807, Jean Fabien Rault sailed from his native village of St. Brieuc, Brittany, France to settle in “Isle de France,” (Mauritius.) In 1809 he got married and in 1868, Hilarion, his youngest son who was also married by then, tried the making of manioc biscuits for fun. They tasted so good that he was encouraged by his family and friends to start marketing them. The factory was set up and the first commercially manufactured biscuits were sold as from 1870. biscuits Manioc ile maurice historique The manioc and its biscuits played an important part in Mauritian history as during World War 1, the population was almost on starvation since many ships bringing food to Mauritius were sunk along the way. The manioc and the biscuits became almost the sole alimentation. At those times, the factory was employing up to 100 persons excluding those planting and taking them to the factory. In 1960 when the famous cyclone “Carol” destroyed Mauritius, the factory was devastated but it is in the early 70’s that the factory’s had to face its hardest times; this time due to cyclone “Gervaise” which destroyed most of the manioc plantations and the factory was put on halt for around 6 months. But since its creation, there has always been a member of the family that dedicated his life to this unique business and today we’ve reached the 4th generation and the biscuits are still made without any preservatives, neither sweeteners nor colouring agents.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 06:34:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015