When you think about a benefactor to humanity, you probably think Mother Teresa, Gandhi, MLK, Nelson Mandela or the Dalai Lama. I’ll personally go with Louis Camille Maillard.
Maillard is the early 19th-century chemist who brought us the Maillard reaction, which is one of the first things you learn at chef school. Maillard is the browning reaction responsible for toast and the crusty baguette, French fries, as well as the irresistible smell and flavor of grilled meat.
Happiness is said to be made of the little pleasures of life. I tend to get mine from good food and I’m sure you do too. I just have to evoke the smell of caramelized onions, barbecue meat on the grill, or roasted coffee for Louis Camille Maillard to invoke your devoted attention.
It was he who, in 1912, discovered what happens
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2009.