Our Gallic creations selected by the Musée des Celtes de Libramont
The Musée des Celtes de Libramont, in Belgium, has selected several Approche Libre creations: our wooden-engraved Gallic recipe boxes and our Aromates des Gaules — Le Souffle de Cernunnos.
For us, this selection holds significant symbolic value.
It doesn't come from a commercial brand vaguely sensitive to traditions or outdoor cooking. It comes from a history and archaeology museum dedicated to Celtic culture, located in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, in a region deeply connected to Celtic archaeological discoveries.
This selection by the Musée des Celtes is a recognition of the historical accuracy of our approach: to create objects of transmission, inspired by history, designed to be handled and used to rediscover the diversity of cauldron cooking.
⏱ Estimated reading time: ~ 10 minutes
In this guide
- The Musée des Celtes de Libramont: a reference archaeological institution
- From archaeological digs to exhibited objects
- Gallic cuisine: what archaeology teaches us
- Why this selection matters to Approche Libre
- Our Gallic recipe boxes: objects of transmission
- Aromates des Gaules: the sensory dimension of history
- A deep coherence between the museum and our creations
- Thank you to the Musée des Celtes de Libramont
- FAQ
- Sources and references
The Musée des Celtes de Libramont: a reference archaeological institution
Located in Libramont-Chevigny, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg, the Musée des Celtes is a museum dedicated to Celtic history, archaeology, and civilization. It is part of the Centre de Recherches Archéologiques en Ardenne (CRAA).
The CRAA was established on February 13, 1985. Its mission is to promote the archaeological heritage of the Belgian Ardennes, particularly for the protohistoric period. Its activities are organized around three essential poles: scientific research, public information, and heritage preservation.
The Musée des Celtes opened its doors in 1998. It arose from a concrete need: to conserve, manage, and make accessible to the public objects from several decades of archaeological excavations carried out at Celtic sites in the Ardennes.
Before the museum's existence, many vestiges were scattered in various private or public collections. Some were not very accessible, others poorly preserved. The museum thus fulfills a fundamental mission: to gather, preserve, study, and present to the public a regional archaeological heritage of great richness.
It is this structure, this mission, and this archaeological seriousness that give full meaning to the selection of our creations by the Musée des Celtes.
From archaeological digs to exhibited objects
The Musée des Celtes de Libramont starts from the field.
Its work is based on excavations carried out in the Belgian Ardennes, on discovered vestiges, and on objects conserved, studied, and then presented to the public.
Among these traces, "tombelles" (small tumuli) play a central role. These Iron Age burial mounds, erected over graves, have provided a better understanding of some Celtic populations settled in the Ardennes: their funerary practices, objects placed with the dead, their know-how, ornaments, weapons, tools, and part of their social organization.
The museum thus presents archaeological pieces related to daily life and funerary rites: ceramics, ornaments, weapons, tools, craft elements, trade objects, traces of clothing, and furniture from graves.
Everything therefore stems from concrete elements: what has been found, preserved, studied, compared, and then made accessible to visitors.
Our Gallic recipe boxes and our Aromates des Gaules are part of this educational extension. They allow access to the Celtic world through flavors, aromatic plants, and ancestral cauldron cooking.
Discover the wooden-engraved Gallic recipe box
Gallic cuisine: what archaeology teaches us
No Gallic cookbook has survived: neither a collection of recipes nor a culinary treatise directly transmitted by Gallic populations. What we know about their diet is almost entirely due to archaeology.
Excavations carried out at Gallic sites — habitats, refuse pits, graves, utensils — have identified the ingredients consumed, cooking methods, and vessels used. Analyses of carbonized seeds, bone remains, and residues found in ceramics provide concrete data on what Celtic populations ate.
What archaeology reveals about Celtic cuisine
Celtic cuisine was based on several well-documented pillars. Cereals played a central role: barley, spelt, millet, emmer. They were consumed as thick porridges, flatbreads, or loaves. Legumes — broad beans, peas, lentils — were an important source of vegetable protein.
Meat came from livestock (pork, beef, sheep, poultry) and hunting. Greek and Roman texts regularly mention the consumption of meat stewed in cauldrons.
Plants, herbs, seeds, and berries were part of the available plant environment. Some were used to accompany or flavor preparations. It is in this spirit that we composed the Aromates des Gaules: not as an intact ancient formula, but as an aromatic blend of plants historically present in Gaul before Romanization.
Cauldron cooking: a social and mythological dimension
Ancient sources and archaeological discoveries show the diversity of cauldron cooking, but also its social dimension among the Gauls, especially during large tribal feasts.
The cauldron also permeates many mythological tales and is sometimes found in graves.
It is from this data from excavations that Approche Libre designed its Gallic recipes and its Aromates des Gaules.
We wanted to offer a culinary experience centered around the cauldron, based on a food universe consistent with what archaeology can establish.
It is precisely this consistency that the Musée des Celtes de Libramont recognized by selecting our creations.
Discover Aromates des Gaules
Why this selection matters to Approche Libre
Approche Libre does not claim to do academic archaeology.
Our role is different.
We create pedagogical transmission objects: concrete tools that allow the public to enter history through the experimentation of ancient cauldron cooking. A wooden engraved map. A mixture of spices. A simmering recipe. A smell of smoke. A way to connect the past to the experience of the present.
The fact that the Musée des Celtes de Libramont selected our creations is a great source of satisfaction.
Explore Approche Libre®
Our Gallic recipe boxes: objects of transmission
The Approche Libre Gallic recipe boxes are at the heart of this recognition.
Each box offers Gallic-inspired recipes, engraved on double-sided wooden cards. This choice of wood is not only aesthetic. It transforms the recipe into an object.
An engraved recipe is a wooden object that can be handled, kept, and passed on. It finds its place in a backpack for a bivouac, in a kitchen, in an activity workshop, or during a family sharing moment around a fire.
Our Gallic recipes are designed as accessible and educational reconstructions.
Discover the Gallic Cooking box
Aromates des Gaules: the sensory dimension of history
Alongside the recipe boxes, the Musée des Celtes has also selected our Aromates des Gaules — Le Souffle de Cernunnos.
This culinary blend was designed to give a sensory dimension to our work on Gallic cuisine.
History is not just about dates, maps, and display cases. It is also about smells, plants, tastes, textures, and sensations.
Opening a jar of Aromates des Gaules is to immediately enter an ancient culinary universe. The blend combines thyme, nettle, sage, bay leaf, fennel seeds, mint, juniper berries, marigold flowers, mallow flowers, chamomile flowers, hyssop, and wild garlic.
Its aromatic profile is herbal, resinous, slightly aniseed, and floral.
This blend was designed to accompany generous cuisine: vegetables, cereals, legumes, meats, sauces, broths, stews, and slow-cooked dishes.
Aromates des Gaules are not presented as a magical recipe found intact in an ancient tomb. They are not an herbal tea, nor a dietary supplement, nor a medicinal preparation. They are culinary aromatics, made for cooking in a cauldron or a cast-iron pot.
Discover Aromates des Gaules
A deep coherence between the museum and our creations
If this selection affects us so much, it is because it is based on a deep coherence.
The Musée des Celtes works from archaeological objects to create a pedagogical dynamic.
Approche Libre creates transmission objects.
The museum explains the Celts through their unearthed material traces.
Our boxes and our Aromates offer to enter this universe through experimentation, wood-fired cooking, and aromatic plants.
The museum fights against clichés.
We also seek to avoid abusive claims, fanciful reconstructions, and folklore without sources.
The museum addresses the public.
Our creations are designed for this same public: families, history enthusiasts, heritage lovers, mediators, teachers, curious individuals, museum visitors, and people who want to learn differently.
This encounter confirms that there is a place for objects that are beautiful, useful, educational, and inspired by history.
Thank you to the Musée des Celtes de Libramont
We thank the Musée des Celtes de Libramont for its trust.
We are proud that our creations can take their place in a museum whose mission is based on research, conservation, education, and the promotion of Celtic heritage.
This selection encourages us to continue our work with the same demanding standards.
For Approche Libre, seeing our Gallic recipe boxes and our Aromates des Gaules offered at the Musée des Celtes de Libramont is an important step.
A recognition.
And an invitation to continue on our path.
Explore Approche Libre®
FAQ — Musée des Celtes & Approche Libre
Where is the Musée des Celtes de Libramont located?
The Musée des Celtes is located at Place Communale 7, 6800 Libramont-Chevigny, Belgium, in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes. Opening hours, prices, and visiting conditions should be checked directly on the museum's official website before any visit.
Can Approche Libre products be purchased directly at the museum?
Yes. The Gallic cauldron recipe box and the Aromates des Gaules — Le Souffle de Cernunnos are available in the shop of the Musée des Celtes de Libramont. They are also available in our online store.
What are the Aromates des Gaules?
The Aromates des Gaules — Le Souffle de Cernunnos are a culinary blend of twelve plants, herbs, flowers, seeds, and berries historically present in Gaul before or around Romanization, according to our botanical, historical, and archaeobotanical verification work. Developed with the Herboristerie du Vieux Nice, this blend is ideal for slow-cooked dishes. It is not an herbal tea or a dietary supplement: it is a culinary aromatic blend.
Are the recipes exact reconstitutions of Gallic cuisine?
No, and we state this clearly. No Gallic cookbook has survived. Our recipes are careful and documented reconstitutions, based on available archaeological knowledge of Gallic diet. The goal is to create a bridge between history and today's experience.
Why are the recipe cards engraved on wood?
To make them durable, usable, transmissible — and suitable for outdoor use. They require no ink, screen, or battery. They are objects of transmission in the fullest sense of the word.
What is Gallic cuisine?
Gallic cuisine refers to the diet of the populations of Gaul before and around Romanization. It was based mainly on cereals, legumes, meats, dairy products, local plants, fermented drinks, and fire-cooked preparations.
What ingredients did the Celts use for cooking?
The Celts could use cereals, legumes, meats, dairy products, fruits, seeds, berries, herbs, and local plants. Ingredients varied according to regions, periods, social backgrounds, and available resources.
How was cooking done in a cauldron in Gallic times?
In Gallic times, the cauldron allowed for cooking over a fire, simmering food, preparing broths, porridges, meats, or communal dishes. It was part of a cuisine linked to the hearth, available materials, and shared meals.
All the information you need to get started — even without experience.
→ Traditional cauldron: how did the Gauls cook?
→ What to cook in a cauldron? 30 historical recipes
→ The cast iron pot: back to basics
Sources and references
The information presented in this article is based on verifiable and publicly accessible sources.
About the Musée des Celtes de Libramont and the CRAA
→ Musée des Celtes de Libramont — official website
Official museum website: address, opening hours, contacts, activities, events, and practical information.
→ CODEF — Centre de Recherches Archéologiques en Ardenne
Presentation of the CRAA, created in 1985 and recognized as a non-profit organization in 1986. The source details its mission to promote the archaeological heritage of the Belgian Ardennes, focusing on scientific research, public information, and heritage preservation.
→ Agence wallonne du Patrimoine — Funerary remains of the Celtic world in the Ardennes
Article dedicated to Celtic Iron Age funerary practices in the Belgian Ardennes, burial mounds, and the role of the Musée des Celtes in promoting this heritage.
→ TV Lux — A new scenography for the Musée des Celtes
Article presenting the museum's recent scenography focusing on the daily life of the Celts. Lyse Walraet is cited as an animator at the Musée des Celtes.
→ Le Vif — The Ardennes Celts emerge from the shadows
November 2021 article about the Musée des Celtes de Libramont and its new scenography. Lyse Walraet is referred to as the museum's archaeologist-animator.
About Approche Libre creations
→ Saveurs gauloises. Boire et manger en Gaule, Florence Zenner, Musée des Celtes de Libramont.
Publication dedicated to food in Gaul, directly related to the partner museum and the culinary theme of this article.
→ Approche Libre — Box of 10 Gallic cuisine recipes
Official page for the box of Gallic recipes engraved on wood.
→ Approche Libre — Aromates des Gaules, Le Souffle de Cernunnos
Official page for the culinary blend Aromates des Gaules.