Les mois gastronomiques. Le lait de mai
1877
Imagine a time when 'May milk' was considered the ultimate superfood! This lively 1877 illustration by Edmond Morin, titled 'Le lait de mai' (The Milk of May), comes from a series called 'Les mois gastronomiques' that celebrated the best foods of each month. In the 19th century, cows grazing on fresh spring grass produced milk so rich and creamy it was thought to have medicinal powers. The scene is a chaotic but charming snapshot of rural life: a boy bravely milking a giant, fluffy cow while children play with a calf and dog, all under the shade of a twisting tree with a village church peeking in the distance.