What did the Gauls eat?

Gallic cuisine cooked in a cauldron. Approche Libre has designed historical recipe boxes.

What if we ate like the Gauls?

Before Romanization, Celtic peoples lived according to a local cuisine, simple yet rich in flavor. Thanks to recent archaeological research, we can now accurately reconstruct their daily diet. Let's forget the caricatures and delve back into a culinary world over two thousand years old.

Here is an overview of the ingredients present in Gaul during the Celtic period (before -52) and used in their daily diet.

Cereals: the basis of the diet

The Gauls were excellent farmers and cereals formed the basis of their diet. They consumed them in the form of thick porridges, flatbreads, rustic breads, incorporated into stews or transformed into fermented drinks.

Among the cereals attested by archeology, we find covered barley (Hordeum vulgare, very common), millet (Panicum miliaceum, resistant and common), as well as covered wheats: spelled (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum) and, more marginally, einkorn (Triticum monococcum).

Rye (Secale cereale) and oats (Avena sativa) are also attested, but seem to have played a secondary role: the former was probably still perceived as a weed, and the latter was mainly used as fodder for horses, although it may have been consumed occasionally by humans.

However, naked common wheat (Triticum aestivum), which forms the basis of our diet today, was not yet cultivated in Gaul before Romanization. Similarly, no trace of maize or rice exists in Gaul during this period.

Legumes

Legumes played an essential role in balancing meals: they provided plant-based protein and could be stored well throughout the year.

The most common foods found were broad beans, split peas, and to a lesser extent lentils. Archaeologists also sometimes identify grass peas, vetch, or lupins. Certain seeds, such as flax or poppy, were used, particularly for oil or as a garnish.

No chickpeas or dried beans: these would come much later, with Mediterranean or transatlantic trade.

Root vegetables and greens

Gaul offered a beautiful diversity of hardy vegetables, adapted to the temperate climate and agricultural methods of the time.

The Gauls cultivated or gathered turnips, ancient carrots, parsnips, kale, onions, garlic, and wild leeks. They also used greens such as nettles, turnip tops, cabbage leaves, and locally gathered wild herbs.

There were of course no potatoes, tomatoes, or eggplants, all of which came from America long after Antiquity.

Gallic cuisine cooked in a cauldron. Free-form approach.

Meats, fish, eggs

Meat was not consumed every day, but it was an integral part of the diet, especially during communal meals or celebrations.

Pigs were the main source of meat, thanks to well-controlled breeding adapted to collective needs. Other domestic species supplemented this supply: cattle, sheep, goats, as well as poultry (chickens, geese, ducks, pigeons), raised on a small scale or in semi-free range.

Game—wild boar, hare, roe deer, or red deer—was hunted opportunistically, depending on the season, local resources, and probably social status. The wild rabbit, endemic to southern Gaul, could be hunted and eaten occasionally, but only in Mediterranean Gaul, where its natural habitat made it readily available.

Eggs, although rarely preserved in archaeological records due to their fragility, were very likely consumed, especially poultry eggs.

As for fish, their low representation in excavated sites is largely explained by the poor preservation of their bones. Nevertheless, several isotopic studies on human bones suggest occasional consumption of aquatic resources, particularly in riverine or coastal areas such as the Saône Valley, the Atlantic coast, or the Mediterranean coast.

The delicatessen

Meat processing, particularly of pork, was a well-established practice. Clear evidence of charcuterie has been found in the remains:

— salted or smoked bacon
— melted fats stored in jars
— probably forms of rustic rillettes or meat confit in its own fat
— and, in some regions, perhaps blood sausages or preparations made with blood and offal

These techniques made it possible to preserve meat outside of hunting or slaughtering seasons, and contributed to the balance of flavor in dishes by adding fat and natural salt.

Dairy products

Contrary to popular belief, the Gauls used dairy products, especially in livestock farming regions.

They were probably consuming:

— goat's, sheep's or cow's milk, rarely raw
— fresh or curdled cheeses, consumed quickly
— fermented milks,
— and in some cases, butter, particularly in northern Gaul

These products were perishable, therefore poorly preserved archaeologically, but their use is indirectly confirmed by traces of animal fats on pottery.

Fruits, nuts and berries

Fruits, whether wild, semi-cultivated or from rustic orchards, occupied an important place in the diet of the Gauls: eaten raw, cooked, dried or fermented, they provided variety, taste and energy.

Among the most common are:

Rustic apples, wild pears, plums, often picked from local varieties, more acidic than our modern fruits.

Hazelnuts, sweet acorns, beechnuts and chestnuts depending on the region, rich in lipids and carbohydrates.

Wild grapes (uncultivated vines), probably used for simple fermented preparations or dried.

And above all, wild berries. Archaeobotanical excavations and ethnobotanical sources allow us to list several:

Sloes (Prunus spinosa): very astringent when raw, they were probably cooked or dried to accompany rustic dishes or as a binder.

Rowan berries (Sorbus aucuparia and domestica): used after softening or drying, sometimes as a tangy condiment or to make fermented drinks.

Black elderberries (Sambucus nigra): cooked or dried, they could be incorporated into porridges or fermented.

Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus): picked in season, eaten fresh, dried or processed.

Rosehips (fruits of the wild rose): rich in vitamin C, probably used as a paste or decoction.

Juniper berries (Juniperus communis): highly valued for flavoring stews, meats and beer, and even for preserving food. Their use is well documented.

Cornelian cherries (Cornus mas): sweet and sour fruits eaten ripe, sometimes cooked or fermented.

Raspberries, currants and blueberries: mainly found in wooded or mountainous areas, eaten fresh or dried.

Azeroles (Crataegus azarolus) and other small hedge fruits, sometimes used to thicken or sweeten a dish.

Some of these berries had a medicinal role, others an aromatic one, but most were primarily seasonal resources used as is or incorporated into simple dishes (porridges, fruit loaves, coarse sauces).

Herbs and spices

Contrary to the sometimes austere image we have of their cuisine, the Gauls knew perfectly well how to enhance their dishes with local aromatic herbs, from wild harvesting or domestic cultivation.

Thanks to archaeological excavations, analyses of charred seeds, and knowledge of the flora of the time, we can now draw up a realistic and nuanced overview of the flavors used in Gallic cuisine.

Throughout Gaul, the following usage is found:

wild fennel , valued for both its seeds and its fragrant stems,
Wild thyme ( serpolet ), abundant in meadows,
Wild mint , for flavoring drinks or porridges.
wild garlic , very common in the undergrowth,
Nettles , rich in minerals, are used as a vegetable or herb.
wild coriander , sometimes found in seed form at excavated sites,
as well as poppy or flax seeds, used as a condiment or source of oil.

In Mediterranean Gaul, the populations settled south of the Loire — and even more so near the Pyrenees, Provence or Languedoc — lived in the heart of an exceptional aromatic flora, still visible today in the maquis and the garrigue.

He is Therefore, it is highly probable, although difficult to prove archaeologically, that they also used:

rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis ),
the noble laurel ( Laurus nobilis ),
common sage ( Salvia officinalis ),
savory ,
hyssop ,
wild tarragon .

These plants are native to the region and their use was obviously known to hunter-gatherer societies for food, medicine and flavoring their preparations.

Dishes simmered in cauldrons — grain soups, meat stews or thick porridges — were thus enriched by these fragrant herbs, which played the role of flavorings long before the introduction of oriental spices.

Salt was used in small quantities, often compensated by salting, the use of mild vinegar or beer as a flavor enhancer.

Aromatics of Gaul. The breath of Cernunnos.

Rediscover the taste of Gallic cuisine!

Cernunnos' Breath is a blend of aromatic herbs inspired by Celtic traditions, reflecting the dietary practices documented in various parts of Gaul before Romanization. It is therefore ideal for cooking in cauldrons and simmered dishes .

I want to discover the Aromatics of Gaul now

Drinks

Cervoise, a rustic, unhopped beer made from barley, was the emblematic drink of the Gauls. It was often consumed warm, sometimes sweetened with a little honey or fruit. Mead also existed. Water, herbal infusions, and decoctions were also part of their daily lives.

Wine was not yet widely distributed in inland Gaul before Roman influence. However, imports of Etruscan and Greek wine are attested from the 5th century BC in elite contexts (such as at Vix or Lattara), notably in the form of amphorae and libation kraters.

A cauldron-cooked meal

The Gauls cooked very frequently in cauldrons or earthenware pots over wood fires. They prepared cereal porridges, stews mixing meat, vegetables and legumes, or thick, nourishing mash dishes.

Bread could also be cooked in a cauldron, on a bed of leaves or straw, or in the form of a dense flatbread. Unlike bread baking, which requires a high fire and a very hot cauldron, everyday dishes were simmered slowly over embers at around 95 degrees Celsius.

Simple, rustic and tasty cuisine

Far from fantasies or folklore, the Gallic diet was balanced and surprisingly rich.

Returning to this cuisine today means rediscovering ancient techniques, a just sobriety, and a taste deeply rooted in life.

Your Gauloises cauldron recipe kits are available now on the website!

You will also find all the necessary equipment to get started right away.

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Where can I find ancient grains and legumes?

To rediscover the authentic flavors of Gallic cuisine , it is essential to use cereals and legumes from ancient varieties , grown using organic farming methods.
Several sectors now offer these products, including mills, organic cooperatives and small specialized producers.

Among them, Moulin des Moines , in Alsace, occupies an important place in the promotion of organic cereals .

A pioneering family business in organic farming since the 1970s , it also processes grains using traditional methods, notably through stone milling.

To easily purchase your organic cereals and legumes, you can visit their website: Monks' Mill