What did the ancient Greeks eat, and how delicious it was for them

Greek food on your table

The ancient Greeks, without knowing it, invented an ideal food system, consisting of incredibly delicious dishes, while very useful for health. What secrets did the inhabitants of the ancient world possess?

Bread is the head of everything

Ancient Greek bread is worthy of a separate encyclopedia. The main subtlety of its preparation was in coarse semi-processed flour, most often wheat or barley. This bread itself was very useful and also contributed to the full assimilation of other products. In various historical and literary sources, you can often find references to the so-called sour bread, which was prepared from fermented dough. However, this variety was considered a delicacy and was only affordable for the wealthy public. Bread for the people was made simpler from coarse flour, filling it with a large amount of bran. In total, ancient Greek bakers were able to prepare several dozen different types of bread. Honey, fat and milk were added to the rich pastries. A special role was given to stale bread. Ancient healers prescribed it as a medicine for indigestion and other “food” diseases.

The luxury of the poor

Of course, the Greeks did not live on bread alone. Since their fertile islands were surrounded by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the first and main dish was fish with seafood. Oddly enough, today’s expensive delicacies were the main food of the ancient Greek poor. Preference was given to tuna and sturgeon fish. Oysters, mussels, scallops and squid were eaten by the common people several times a day. They prepared seafood in a variety of ways: smoked, fried, marinated, salted. Some secrets of cooking still remain unsolved. For example, it is not clear how a whole fish could be partially fried, partially cooked, and partially salted at the same time.

A significant part of the diet was game. For a long time, the Greeks preferred forest animals and birds to livestock. Pigeons, sparrows, pheasants, quails, and sometimes swallows were happily roasted on the bonfires. All this was richly seasoned with olive oil and herbs. Later, in their heyday, the Hellenes became addicted to beef and mutton. The whole carcass was roasted on a spit without any seasonings, after which it was cut into pieces, the juiciest of which went to the guests of honor. And the Greek table was full of hearty sausages and an original delicacy-a goat’s stomach stuffed with fat and blood.

Sacred Olive Tree

To balance out such a hearty meal, a variety of legumes, fresh figs and olives were served as a side dish. In many dishes, the Greeks added onions, garlic, fleshy lettuce leaves and green sweet peppers. Tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants, so familiar to us today, were not yet familiar to the Greeks at that time. And democratic pumpkins and cucumbers were considered outlandish fruits and were very expensive.

An indispensable attribute of any meal was unleavened bread cakes and soft sheep’s cheese, more like cottage cheese. They washed down the meal with healthy sheep’s milk. Almost no dish was complete without the legendary olive oil. The olive tree was sacred to the ancient Greeks, and its fruits still occupy one of the main places in traditional cuisine. Olive oil was produced by cold pressing exclusively from ripe selected fruits. At the same time, it was used not only for cooking, but also as a preservative, for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, and even for funeral rites. The Greeks were also crazy about olives. They were marinated in wine vinegar and in the same olive oil, adding spices and aromatic herbs. This snack was eaten separately or combined with fish dishes.

Sugar to the ancient Greeks replaced wild honey, which they did not know the lack of. The most favorite delicacy was considered raisins with nuts, abundantly watered with honey. By the way, the walnuts themselves were an imported product and were highly valued. But grapes and figs were and still are ancient Greek sweets.

Daily drink

The choice of drinks among the ancient Greeks was very limited, but what! At any meal on holidays and weekdays, they drank wine. True, pr

and this is strongly diluted with water. In this way, they decontaminated the well water and did not get so drunk. Such unambiguous taste preferences were explained simply. Literally the whole of Greece, both mainland and island, was covered with fertile vines that produced excellent quality berries. It is not for nothing that the Greeks are considered the founders of European winemaking, and their most revered god has always been Dionysus.

Perhaps the most famous Greek wine of antiquity is retsina. It was prepared in a special way: the amphorae were filled with wine and sealed with a mixture of resin and gypsum. Thanks to this, the drink acquired a characteristic tar taste and aroma. In total, there were about 150 different varieties of wine in ancient Greece. More than others, red, very thick wines were valued, which were poured into large vessels and left to ferment in cool cellars for six months. Already in those days, Greek winemakers were able to prepare practically all the currently known varieties of wine, including light white, sweet pink, dry and semi-dry. Rhodes and Samos wines were considered the best. A tart wine originally from the island of Santorini, made from grapes grown on volcanic ash, was also held in special esteem. However, almost any city could boast of its own brand of wine.

Of course, the Greeks knew a lot about delicious and healthy food. Although in most cases, their gastronomic habits were dictated by nature itself. But this does not prevent us from learning from them the principles of proper nutrition.