Margarine was invented in France by Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès in 1869, during the Franco-Prussian wars. He invented it in response to a competitive challenge from the French government under Napoleon III, who was looking for a cheap and stable substitute for butter, and offered a big prize to anyone who could pull it off.

Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès (1817-1880) to francuski chemik i technolog środków spożywczych; specjalista w zakresie żywienia człowieka. W 1869 roku opracował recepturę margaryny i uzyskał patent na ten wynalazek.