What did our ancestors eat? Were they feeding well? This is what the Labenche museum, in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in Corrèze, offers to discover. Unusual visits, with tastings, retrace the history and evolution of food from Gallo-Roman antiquity to the present day.
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A big fire under a starry sky, wooden tables, spit-roasted wild boar… all washed down by barrels of cervoise. This is the most widespread image of the Gallic banquet. But far from the feasts of Asterix and Obelix, the diet of our ancestors was more balanced than we think. This is what the Labenche museum in Brive-la-Gaillard offers you to discover during immersive visits around the evolution of taste.
Called “The Art of Taste”, this exhibition begins by setting the table for Corrèze’s ancestors. The Gallo-Roman dish set is made up of cups and dishes in which fruits, vegetables, porridge and wine were consumed. But other foods complete the Brivists' food.
Thanks to the Romans, they also discovered all types of seafood, such as oysters for example, and fish in brine or preserved in salt. And then, they also discovered olive oil.
Public officer at the Labenche museum
The diet of the Brivistes, 2000 years ago, was therefore much richer, balanced and varied than we imagine.
Thanks to this exhibition, the Labenche museum also allows you to discover how food tells the story of social inequalities at the table. In another room, a large 17th century tapestry depicts a scene of an elegant hunting meal complete with tablecloth and wine glasses. In the details lies a fundamental element of nutrition: “We’re going to talk about protein intakecontinues Zoé Darcy. Animal proteins since we see a hunting meal and we also notice the presence of bread and alcoholic drinks in particular.”
This gastronomic immersion also allows you to better understand the evolution of taste and eating habits up to the present day. To understand the works, the museum adds unusual visits with the presence of a dietician. These visits take place in the form of commented tours with times of reading, meditation, discussion and tasting. The next one will take place on Saturday December 7, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Discover Julie Radenac’s report on this exhibition.
duration of the video: 00h01mn15s
In Brive-la-Gaillarde, in Corrèze, the Labenche museum offers immersive visits with a dietitian to discover what the Brive people ate 2000 years ago.
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©France 3 Limousin
