Gazpacho Before Tomatoes: A Taste of Spain’s Renaissance

When we think of gazpacho today, we picture a refreshing, bright-red tomato soup served chilled on a hot summer’s day. But during Spain’s Renaissance, before tomatoes arrived from the New World, gazpacho was something else entirely. One of the earliest recorded versions of this dish comes from The New Art of Cookery by Juan Altimiras, an 18th-century Franciscan friar who compiled and adapted traditional Spanish recipes. His version? A white gazpacho made with bread, garlic, vinegar, and almonds.

A Dish for the Working Class

Gazpacho, in its original form, was not a dish of nobility but of the common people—peasants, laborers, and monks. It was a practical meal, built around simple, readily available ingredients. Stale bread, soaked and blended with vinegar, water, and garlic, created a nourishing and hydrating dish, perfect for those toiling under the Iberian sun.

Altimiras' New Art of Cookery (originally Nuevo Arte de la Cocina Española) reflects this humble tradition. He describes a white gazpacho that resembles the ajo blanco still eaten in Andalusia today. Here’s a translated passage from his book:

This passage highlights how this early form of gazpacho was a simple yet essential dish for daily sustenance. It was about making the most of what was available and turning it into something both practical and satisfying.

The Roots of Gazpacho

The origins of gazpacho stretch back even further than the Renaissance. Many historians believe its earliest ancestor was a simple Roman dish of bread, olive oil, and vinegar—essentially a cold porridge.

When the Moors ruled Spain, they introduced almonds, which became a key ingredient in ajo blanco, the white gazpacho that Altimiras described.

Historical accounts suggest that ajo blanco was already consumed during the Moorish rule in Spain, between the 8th and 15th centuries, particularly in the region of Al-Andalus. Some theories even propose that Roman soldiers in Hispania prepared a primitive version of the soup using basic rations like bread, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

This long history suggests that ajo blanco was likely passed down through oral tradition before being formally recorded in culinary literature.

It wasn’t until the 16th century, when tomatoes were brought back from the Americas, that gazpacho began evolving into the red version we know today. But for centuries before that, Spaniards were cooling off with white, bread-based soups, rich in garlic, olive oil, and sometimes nuts.

Bringing Renaissance Gazpacho to Your Table

Recreating this historic dish is simple and brings a taste of Spain’s past into the modern kitchen. Altimiras’ white gazpacho is a reminder that great food doesn’t need to be complicated—just well-balanced and full of flavor.

If you want to experience the antique version, blend together soaked bread, blanched almonds, garlic, olive oil, and sherry vinegar, then chill and serve with grapes or cucumber for a refreshing finish.

So next time you enjoy a cold bowl of gazpacho, remember—before the tomatoes, before the peppers, there was only bread, vinegar, and garlic, sustaining generations of Spaniards through hot summers and hard work. And in that simple, rustic tradition, there’s a timeless beauty worth savoring.