Dining in Ancient Greece - Nutritional habits

Such was the importance of sailing and fishing that fish was a major part of the local diet. Fish, shellfish, squid and eels were consumed in near any manner possible. The richer families may extend their diet to caviar, oysters and turtles. Smoked fish was even imported from as far a field as the Black Sea and Spain.

Meat was a far less common dish. At home one would be more than happy to have sausages or hare. Any animal capable of producing food was valuable alive. Goats cheese, for example could be happily produced in great volume. Any kind of poultry, however, would not be out of place on a table. Pheasants, chickens, all were available.

During the summer fruits and vegetables were readily available fresh. Fruits were eaten in all possible manners, while vegetables were preferable well dressed. However, for over the winter one was advised to dry out and preserve them. Apparently one manner of preserving a whole variety of fruits is to put them in honey, carefully ensuring that no one fruit touches another. To preserve green vegetables one need only put them in a receptacle treated with pitch.

Seasonings of all sorts were imported. Garlic, onions and mustard were highly popular. And, as with today, olive groves grew in abundance. They were quite capable of supplying far beyond the reaches of Greece itself even then. Wine, too, was readily available and cheap. Each area, as today, produced its own distinct flavour. The Aegean islands, especially Lesbos and Chios, were said to be the best. The wine was transported in amphorae and was then strained through fine cloth prior to use, relieving it of the bitty sediments left in during production



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greek food in athens ancient

Some unusual ingredients that were commonly used in ancient cooking are also referred in the recipes that are given in this web page .Therefore it is essential that we describe them in order to understand the ways that can be produced, searched for or even replaced with others that resemble them, in order to be able to maintain the original taste of the recipes.

The following information can be found, together with many recipes, in an excellent book by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. The translated into Greek version of the book has the title "Μαγειρική της Αρχαιότητας" (The Classical Cookbook).

Garos (Γάρος - liquamen): Liquid that is produced when straining fish that has been kept in salt for 3 months. The fish was put in salt without been cleaned. The smell of the fish that was mixed with salt was often very bad. This is the main reason why the production of Garos in big cities was often forbidden. Garos was used in large quantities in Greek and Roman dishes.

The modern Tai sauce Nam Pla and Vietnamese sauce Nwok Mam are the sauces that best resemble the taste of garos. The Nwok Mam sauce can be easily found in any chinese supermarket.

Ligystiko(Λυγιστικό - Levisticum officinale): Commonly used in recipes described in the Roman book "Apicius: the Roman cookery book". Has a bitter and strong taste and is suitable for cooking fish. Its taste characterizes the authentic Roman cuisine. It should be used fresh. It can be cultivated and can reach 3 meters high. It resembles the taste of the green leaves of celery. It is easily preserved chopped in olive oil.

Apiganos (Απήγανος - Ruta graveolens): Rarely used these days. It has an unusual bitter taste and is also known as a pharmaceutical herb. It can be also used in dried form.

Skordolasaro (Σκορδολάζαρο - Ferula asafoetida): Used today in Indian cuisine for example for the production of the fried breads "Popadom". It resembles the taste of garlic and leek.

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Ancient Greek Recipes food in greece

Today, it is very difficult to prepare a dish exactly as it was prepared in ancient times. We do not have the right utensils or the many different spices that were used by the ancient chefs to bind together the sweet, bitter and sour tastes. There is also the problem of not having the exact instructions to fix the recipes. Most of the cooking guides from ancient times have been lost but we do know that they did not give exact details. They were mostly guides that gave lists of types of ingredients and spices to use to spark the imagination of the trained chef, who, of course, added his own personal touch to each meal depending on the occasion. In the last few centuries many people, including chefs, philologists, archeologists, botanists, have become interested in the art of ancient Greek cooking, starting from pre-historic times and the Greek years. By continually testing, modifying and improving, they have managed to give us some recipes that have turned the tide back toward the first flavors used. They are good recipes that are tasty and enjoyable. For us Greeks, as we will see further down, the continuing thread of flavors doesn't seem to have been cut. In forgotten corners of our country one is pleasantly surprised by food that is clearly prepared as it was in centuries past.

Try the recipes below and let yourself go back the ancient culture of the Greeks. And if some people think there is too much emphasis on the "what" of classical antiquity and that it is a small and unimportant thing, let us get our answer from the philosopher of life Epicurus: "Origin and roots, all kinds of riches and the pot a delight".

Recipes By Orestis Davias (Taste magazine) and by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger (The Classical Cookbook)

1. Ancient Greek Mullet
2. Tuna
3. Bean soup
4. Fruit salad
5. Sweet meat with honey
6. Ancient honey and sesame fritters
It is amazing how little this recipe has changed 1800 years after. The Roman Physician Galinos (129 - 99 ac) describes in his book this sweet with many details.
7. Ancient Greek Pulp (Kikeon)
Kikeon is something between food and drink. The word "kikeon" (κυκεών) comes from the verb "kikan" (κυκάν), which means thickening by continuously stirring. The recipe that is given best resembles the ancient version of "Kikeon".
8. Ancient Greek Shrimps in a glace of honey
9. Ancient Greek Gilt - head bream with cheese and oil
10. Ancient Greek Fish with coriander




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Ancient Greek Food

Ancient greek recipes! A definitely exciting experiment it seems, but how feasible is it to reproduce ways of food preparation which were in use thousands of years ago? Furthermore, what philosophy stands behind cooking and eating in ancient Greece? The following pages try to answer these questions.


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Ancient Greek Food

Ancient greek recipes! A definitely exciting experiment it seems, but how feasible is it to reproduce ways of food preparation which were in use thousands of years ago? Furthermore, what philosophy stands behind cooking and eating in ancient Greece?

To begin with it is essential to realize that all the below given information refers to the rich people. Poor were not often able to enjoy fancy meals with well - prepared and sophisticated dishes. However, the typical symposium of the wealthy is worth to mention, because it reflects a style of living. Food and drink are seen as a social activity, an opportunity to meet with others and discuss, listen to music, play games, spend many pleasant hours. Symposiums usually would last from early in the afternoon until late at night. Their importance in the ancient societies is easier to understand, if one realizes that great philosophical disputes developed during symposiums. Symposiums were (among others of course) an opportunity for mental exercise. This depended also on the guests. Men were the only ones to participate. Several servants were serving the menu, very often musicians were hired, and generally the wealth of the host was reflected in the quality of the symposium. During the symposium men were laid down on anaklintra. At the beginning they were served a glass of wine mixed with honey (oinomelo) and also bread. After that the dishes of the menu appeared, in the right order: several appetizers and also fruit. Then came fresh fish and meat was the last to be served. What is impressive is the second phase of a symposium, the called epidorpion in Greek. The word now means dessert, but at that time it was for more than that. During the epidorpion phase several kinds of pies, sweets, dried fruits, nuts, cheese was offered along with wine, always mixed with water. The host was responsible that his guests get drunk very soon. Wine drinking now is the issue and wine selection reflects wealth. Wine drinking accompanies philosophical and other conversations, music or even acrobat performances!

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