From Gefsi/Kouzina, February 2001
Ancient Greek Cooking

Written by: Orestis Davias
Translated by: Denise Morfiris

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In a colossal undertaking to publish the complete works of the ancient Greek philologists, Kaktos Publications recently completed the Athenian Deipnosofistes* edition. It is composed of 15 elegantly bound and easy to use volumes which, besides having the ancient Greek text, also has excellent translations of the text and valuable comments about the text.

The Deipnosofistes, besides being a priceless treasure house of mental scenes of antiquity, is perhaps the oldest and most prominent written document depicting what the relevant issues were at that time in history. This massive work is particularly valuable for those interested in ancient Greek foods (what they ate and how they cooked food). It is a factual gastronomic encyclopedia with a large guide to the most suitable ingredients used in cooking and how to prepare many different dishes. Detailed references are made about how a symposium should be organized, what kind of music to be played was suitable, what utensils should be used etc.

Athenaios, the philologist, recorded the dialogues between dinner guests during the three symposiums. He wrote about the philosophical stream of thought at the time by compiling the ideas, words and verses of prominent men who were at the symposiums. These fragments of thoughts and ideas give us a kaleidoscopic look at the fascinating picture of the time he lived in. Athinaios the orator, philosopher, and philologist was born in Naukrati, Egypt at the end of the 2^nd century ad. Naukrati was an old Greek naval center and preserved strong language and cultural traditions.

Athinaios was raised and educated in Alexandreia and as his writings are witness to, he used the legendary library there to draw his material from. In the Deipnosofistes, more than 1500 works are quoted that unfortunately, were destroyed when the library burned down, along with the names of over 700 authors and excerpts from their works.

In contrast with other works about symposiums which have been preserved (with similar names such as the Symposium of Plato, the Symposium of Lucian, the Symposium of Xenaphon and Plutarch), which dealt exclusively with philosophical questions, the Deipnosofistes’ central theme of conversation were the details of the meals served. This text gives a slight pause in learning and transmits to us the joy of life they felt. It gives us the opportunity to go many centuries back in time and understand the Greek spirit that was occupied with the intellect and yet, was also filled with the need for healthy enjoyment. So, through what could be termed a helter-skelter, perhaps slack way, we are given information about all the seasonings and spices, the vegetables and the meats of that time while following an exchange of views about food, frugality, polygamy, child molestation, drunkenness and music.

This literary work, besides being a learning experience, is very enjoyable reading. You have the feeling that you are clinking your glass with Larisio and that you are getting ready to play kottabo, the favorite game of the ancient Greeks at the symposium. You laugh at the passion of those who fell in love with mythical, beautiful women and you hum forgotten melodies.

Around the 14^th century BC, Athens reached its’ economic and cultural pinnacle and along with it, emphasis on the techniques of cooking gained impetus. Athenians began to abandon traditional food habits. Because of booming commerce and the accumulation of wealth, holidays and symposiums took place with much more grandeur than they had before. The gastronomic overindulgences of Athenians was no longer satisfied by local products and flavors and tastes started to become more complicated. To poultry, especially the fat geese that the Athenians liked as well as game, was added wild pig from Ftiotidos and roe deer from Viotias. In fish stores along with the fish from the Saronic Gulf, large eels were now sold. These were cooked with a lot of seasonings. Athenians also loved fish paste that was imported from the Bosporos and paid high prices for lobster, crawfish, oysters, mussels and sea urchins. They seasoned them with a vinegar/honey mixture, parsley and mint. Along with the abundant fruit found in Attica, especially the fig, apples were brought in from Evia, quinces from Corinth, dates from Phoenicia and dried prunes from Asia.

The bread served at the Athenian dinners, from the time that Sikelos Thearion mastered the technique of bread making, was white and crusty. Along with the art of baking came the art of making sweets and pastries. Even milk was used in the making of a wide variety of sweets. Slowly, chefs who were paid for their services in the homes of the aristocracy started to become famous. For a chef to be recognized in Athens, he had to have studied culinary arts for two years and then pass examinations. Famous chefs became nationally famous and Athinaios did not forget to mention the 7 most famous Greek chefs, all of whom were also famous philologists. He mentioned them according to the specialty each one was noted for. No one was better than Agis of Rodios in cooking fish. Nireus of Xios, Hariadis of Athens, Lambrias, Afthonitis who invented the sausage, Efthimos and Aristion. Greek chefs bragged about the origins of their gentle profession. The inventor of the alphabet was chef to King Eidonas for many years. To get an idea as to what products were plentiful, below is an excerpt from a metrical verse by Athinaios (D9, translation by T. Mavropoulou).

Perhaps because something is missing from our house?
We don’t have smells of myrrh from Syria,
The pleasant fragrance of incense,
Different dough’s, breads and flours,
Octopus, sausages, fats,
Bladders, broth’s, beets, fig leafs,
Humus, garlic, small fish, mackerel,
Pies, traxana, coarse ground grain,
Broad beans, peas, honey, cheese,
Salami, milks, walnuts, cracked wheat,
Grilled crawfish, grilled squid,
Boiled cuttlefish, boiled Moray Eel,
Boiled Goby, grilled tunny-fish,
Frogs, cuckoo’s, grapes, figs, sweeteners,
Apples, pomegranates, thyme, poppies,
Wild pears, geese, olives, leeks, vine greens,
Onions, bulbs, beet-root, vinegar, fennel,
Eggs, lentils, crickets, juices, watercress,
Sesame, pinna, mussels, oysters,
Large tuna and bountiful birds,
Ducks, pheasants, geese, sparrows,
Thrushes, Larks, Magpies, swans,
Pelicans, Wagtails, Cranes.

In the same book, a little further on, we come across a small catalogue of meals out of the hundreds they made that shows how they made their meals tastier:

Chopped grapes
Fennel, dill, mustard,
Dried coriander, cumin,
Oregano, leeks.

A complete gastronomic feat surely is to attempt to transfer the ancient tastes of yesterday to today and to accompany them with the atmosphere that prevailed at the ancient symposiums. Especially when it has to be accompanied by commercial success. To give modern day man the feel of the ancient past, there is an obligation to respect all of the savory changes that have contributed to it down through the centuries. It has to be done in such a way that the palate will accept the changes with enthusiasm, not hesitation or rejection.

Attempts have been made over the years to inject into Athenian dining generous doses of ancient Greek flavors but all have failed. However, in the case of the restaurant "Arxaion Yefsis" (Ancient Tastes), things are starting to have a different look. The professionalism is indisputable and is the contributing factor in their trying hundreds of different ancient dishes, including the famous "Black Broth" from Sparta (that truly is difficult to swallow!) until they were able to narrow it down to about 25 selections on their very carefully chosen menu. It is quite impressive to read about the dish you are about to order on the menu (what year it is from, how it is made etc) and your appetite increases as you read the ancient text.

The heart of the restaurant, the kitchen, gives a feeling of coziness, not only because it is small in size and quite warm, but because of Chef Dimitris Kexri. His quick, sure movements and his preoccupation with the styling of the dishes to make them beautiful to look at are tasty images of his dedication to his trade.

Adding to the positive atmosphere are the waiters in their archaic dress (that at first surprises you but after a few moments delights you), the music, and being offered some "propomatos" (a cup of honey wine). The fact that there are no ingredients that were not used in ancient times (tomatoes and potatoes are absent) is also surprising.

The friendly service at the restaurant deserves mention as does the fact that the staff is very well informed and do not hesitate to talk to the customers about the small secrets of the ancient Greek cuisine served.

As for our taste impressions, we loudly cheered the garden salad (with vegetables and roka, eggs, pinenuts, walnuts and pomegranates mixed divinely together). The eel with asparagus, coliander and oregano was excellent, as was the lamb and fried chicken livers. The cuttlefish cooked in its’ ink was very tasty as was the pork filets stuffed with fruits and nuts. Perhaps another time, when a large group of us can go, we will order the grilled baby pig stuffed with game, eggs, cheese, chestnuts and other wonderful ingredients. Only a small disagreement arose among us while eating. It had to do with the lack of forks and bottled wine. In ancient times there were none but we have deviated from the ancient tradition even if memories are hidden somewhere within us. Since there were no forks or bottled wine, we suggest that they change the tables to couches. They should offer bread for hand wiping, since the ancients ate with their hands, instead of napkins and flavor some of the dishes with "garo" (a "heard" about sauce). After dinner we should be entertained as our ancestors where, by playing the game of "kottavo", which takes skill and good aim.

In conclusion, praise should be given to the "Arxaion Gefis" (Ancient Tastes) restaurant for giving us the opportunity to take a trip back in time to the golden age of Athens and we applaud them for their efforts.

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 in ancient times. 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 consider it 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".

* The Deipnosofistes where a group of men of letters who came together to talk and listen to orators speak on a wide variety of subjects. While they met at these symposiums they also dined.