New France:
New France was a permanent French settlement in the area around present-day Quebec City. It was created by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Remaining a small fur trading post for the first 50 years of its existence, no more than sixty colonists resided in the small settlement. However, due to harsh winters, often many died of scurvy and exposure to the cold.
Population of New France:
- In its 150 years as a French colony, less than 10,000 immigrated to New France.
- Almost 4,000 were engagés (handymen and skilled workers).
- Another 3,500 came from those in the military.
- Another 1,000 were the Filles du Roi (women sent by King Louis XIV to marry the single men already in the colony).
- A thousand prisoners were sent.
- Another 500 came on their own.
The Seigneurial System:
Modeled from the French feudal system, the seigneurial system was a form of land settlement, usually along major rivers such as the St. Lawrence river. Land was divided into five by fifteen kilometre narrow, long plots. These plots were all suitable for farming. However, the seigneurial system was abolished because it was considered cumbersome and not economically beneficial.
People:
Most of the people in New France were farmers, growing wheat, peas, oats, rye, barley and maize on their own land plots. Coureurs de bois (runners of the woods) were skilled woodsmen, trappers, and canoeists, who were crucial to the fur trade. Social class was also a big part of life in New France.
Food:
Representing 60 - 85% of the total daily intake, bread was a staple in the diets of the settlers. Soup was liked very much. It was common to have cattle, which was a usual stock animal. The settlers liked beef, pork, and mutton. However, mutton wasn’t as appreciated. Farmyards generally consisted of pigs, hens, roosters, capons, and turkeys. Pigs were mainly raised for fat that was essential to cooking. Because it was so much in demand, lard was consumed five times more than butter and a family would consume forty kilos of lard per year.