Foods of Ancient Athens

Below is some information about foods in ancient Athens (some of it is just general to all of Greece, but I tried to focus on Athens when I could).  Recipes and sources are at the end.


BREAD
Wheat didn't grow well in Greece, but Barley did (the Romans even called the Greeks "Barley Eaters."). But Athens imported wheat from other countries, and became known for it's white wheat bread.  It's commercial bakeries ran all night.   The poor still ate millet and emmer bread (and whole grain barley porridge and maza) which was looked down on by the upper class .  Socrates called whole grain bread "pig food."  


MEAT
In Athens, you couldn't eat most domesticated meat (cows, pigs, sheep, goats) unless the animal was sacrificed to the gods.     During festivals cows and pigs were sacrificed and the meat was cooked and handed out to the public.   For banquets the wealthy would also sacrifice a large animal.   A piglet was attainable for the middle class (it cost about 3 days wage of a public servant).  

Wild caught foods such as fish, rabbit, wild foul like duck and pheasant and smaller domestic animals like geese, quails, chicken, however didn't have to be sacrificed to the Gods before they were eaten.

Fish was the most common meat.  Tuna, sea bass, grey and red mullet, grouper, and eel were esteemed and expensive.  Carp, catfish and pike were common, and parrotfish was one of the cheaper fish.  Small fish like anchovies were cheep but not as desirable.   Dried fish of various sorts were common. (And it was a meat Christians could eat without worrying whether it had been sacrificed).  They also had shellfish like oysters and scallops and ate things like squid and octopus as well.

Meat was prepared in various ways.   Sausage (usually from pigs)  was common for both rich and poor.  Ground meat such as meatballs were also used.  Larger pieces of meat were often roasted, though whole legs, or hams, were rubbed with salt and smoked by hanging high over a fire.   Meat was also pickled with herbs in wind vinegar.  (Dawson pg 10)







DAIRY
Eggs from geese, chickens and quail
   (cooked soft or hard boiled, and used as ingredients)
Cheeses 
- feta cheese (may have even been mentioned in Homer's Odyssey)
- something like cottage cheese
- possibly yogurt
- various other cheeses

Milk was not usually not drunk except as a medicine, but it was made into cheese.  Butter was considered "barbaric."

Even in the cities, most households kept hens, so they would have fresh eggs to eat.  (Dawson pg 19)



VEGETABLES
(vegetables were eaten fresh and sometimes dried)

Artichokes
Asparagus*
Olives
Lettuce
Cabbage
Cucumber
Celery
Onions
Leeks
Garden Peas
Lentils (lentil soup was a commoners typical dish)
Black Beans
Broad Beans
Chickpeas
Lupin Bean

*Hippocrates used this as a diuretic

FRUITS
Grapes (and raisens)
Dates
Figs
Pomegranate
Plum
Apples
Pears
Quince
Muskmelon/Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo, introduced in 3rd Century BC)
Watermelon (yellow rind by the 1st century, not yet red until early middle ages)

NUTS/SEEDS
Beechnuts
Chestnuts
Walnuts
Almonds
Sesame
Flax

(Acorns were often consumed by the poor.  WARNING:  Only edible if processed so that tannin is removed)



SPICES
I've noted common uses for spices, and which spices I know were imported (but others listed might be as well).   Imported spices would be more expensive than things that grew in Greece.  Some longer notes are also included below where you see asterics *).

Anise
Cardamom***
Caraway Seed
Cassia (imported)
Celery Seed
Cinnamon (imported)****
Coriander (condiment in food and wine)
Cumin
Dill
Fennel (imported, used in vinegar sauces)
Garlic (widely used)
Ginger (imported)**
Lavender
Marjoram
Mint (flavoring for meat sauces)**
Mustard
Oregano**
Parsley
Pepper, black and white (imported)****
Poppy Seeds (imported, used on breads)
Rue
Saffron
Salt
Thyme**

The works of Hippocrates (459–370 BC) contain 300 medicinal plants classified by physiological action: Wormwood and common centaury (Centaurium umbellatum Gilib) were applied against fever; garlic against intestine parasites; opium, henbane, deadly nightshade, and mandrake were used as narcotics; fragrant hellebore and haselwort as emetics; sea onion, celery, parsley, asparagus, and garlic as diuretics; oak and pomegranate as adstringents.[10,11]
****Ancient Greeks wore crowns of parsley and marjoram to prevent drunkenness while feasting.


*Many herbs, including those used for cooking, were also considered to have medicinal uses.   

Garlic - intestinal parasites, diuretic (Hippocrates)
Celery - diuretic (Hippocrates)
Marjorum -  crowns of parsley and marjoram were warn at feasts to prevent drunkenness
Parsley - diuretic (Hippocrates), crowns of parsley and marjoram were warn at feasts to prevent drunkenness




**Residue of DNA of these were discovered in amphora in sunken ancient Greek trading ships.   I don't know if the items were being imported or exported.  But still, if they were being traded they probably would have been available in Athens, a major trade destination.


***The ancient Romans and Greeks used Cardamon in their perfumes.


****Peppercorn and cinnamon was imported from India.   Pepper was common enough that ordinary people could use it, at least in small quantities (though Pliny complained about the price, and noted that white pepper cost twice as much as black). 







DRINKS
Wine & Grape Juice
Water (usually with a little wine mixed in, to kill germs)
Barley Tea


OILS/SAUCES/OTHER
Vinegar
Olive Oil
Honey




RECIPES

Chrysocolla (Flaxseed candy)

Honey Fritters

Pasteli (Sesame Honey Candy)

Petimizi/grape molasses
You can also sometimes find this in Greek or mediteranian markets.  Several recipes below use this this.  Moustokoulora, Mustalervria, and the Grilled Quail.  You could also try it on the Tagenites (greek pancakes).

Moustokouloura (Grape molasses cookies)
This recipe is time consuming but supposedly easy to make (less time consuming if you have a really good Greek market where you can buy the petimizi/grape molasses in stead of making it yourself).    The recipe uses alcohol but it bakes out (and I've read you can use grape juice in stead).   It does use one spice they definitely wouldn't have used (Allspice), but I've found other versions of this recipe without it, so you could omit that for a more authentic ancient Greek version.   Cloves (which which were in every Moustokouloura recipe I found)   reached the Roman world by the 1st Century AD, so they could have been a new delicacy.   Find more history of these here.

Grape Must Pudding - Mustalevria

Tagenites/Attanitai  (Pancakes With Honey)
Usually a breakfast food, just like today.   Site has history.

3 Easy Ancient Greek Recipes - Pancakes, Lentil Soup, and Nut Cake
 
Maza (Barley Bread Balls)
Served with olives, cheese, and eggs.
(Dawson pg 6)

Ptisane (Barley Tea with Mint)


Greek Mushroom Bread 
It's named after shape...and contains no mushrooms.

Greek Style Country Bread


Barley Porridge
Barley porridge was a common meal in greece.  This recipe mentions vikings, not the Greeks, but porridge was pretty similar wherever it was made.    For a more authentic Greek porridge, use honey, not sugar.

Ancient Greek Lentil Soup


9 Greek and Roman Recipes
Greek recipes included:

• Athenian Cabbage
• Garlic Cheese
• Olive Relish
• Honey Glazed Prawns
  

Skewered Meat
- Meat was often cooked on skewers, over a fire, like shish kabobs.  Might be glazed with Petimizi/grape molasses or served with Garum.

Grilled Quail (or chicken) Glazed with Grape Syrup (Petimizi)
Could be used on chicken but cooking times might need to be changed.  I don't know for certain this was an ancient recipe, but I do know that it includes ancient ingredients including Petimizi/grape molasses (which can sometimes be found in Greek markets).

Ancient Greek Fish Recipe
Scroll to the bottom for the recipe.

Home-made Garum (Roman Fish Sauce)
While it was a "roman sauce" it was actually derived from an earlier Greek sauce, and was popular in Greece more than Rome.  Garum was "used as condiments for literally everything: from meat and fish to vegetables, salads, desserts, bread, and wine dipping."    This is a modern version that feasible to make at home...if you're brave enough to try it. 

Cheesy Mackerel with Roasted Barley Flour Dough

SOURCES
I've cited books in the text as I wanted to share page numbers and this was info added later.   I am sorry I didn't directly cite the online sources in the text above. I can't remember now which info came from which source below, unfortunately.

Food In Ancient Greece
What Did the Ancient Greeks Eat
Ancient Meals and Eating Habits Part I: Greeks
Ancient Greek Food
Ancient Greek Cuisine (Wikipedia)
The History of Greek Bread 
History of Mushrooms
Lemon Trees in Greece
Chickens and Religion
Spices the Flavored Greek Cooking
Foods and Feasts in Ancient Greece by Imogen Dawson, Published 1995, Zoe Books, England (affiliate link to amazon)
History of Spices:  McCormic Spice Institute
Historical Review of Medicinal Plant Usage
Muskmellons Originated in Persia
The History of Cucumbers
The History of Artichokes
The History of the Watermelon
History of Cucumbers

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