print 

THE GALLO-ROMAN BREAD

A bit of history

1000 years before, the Egyptians already baked their leaven bread, while the Romans were backward to the Greeks, which were eating a delicious bread as Caton (234-149 B.C.) said. For the Romans the milling was unknown, baked a leaven bread and they used pestle and mortar.
Around 380 B.C., the wars in Greece and the invasion of the Gaul learned them to mill the corn, by hand, or using the wind or water and to use leaven.


Roman hand-mill

The Gallics baked their bread with commun leaven or yeast. already 500 to 600 B.C.

The Bakers

Until the 8th or 7th century B.C., bakeries were of no interest to the Romans, the bread was baked at home, mostly by slaves, kneading the dough, wearing gloves and a mask on their face.

Kneading dough

Kneading and moulding dough

In 168 B.C., Greek bakers came over to Rome, and the Gallics the remarkable baker’s assistants.

Around 30 B.C. Rome counted 329 Greek bakeries, assisted by the Gallics.


Bakery at Pompeï

next