The history of our food

The history of our foodThe history of greek traditional food. M. Giorg., 7th Junior High School of Rhodes, January , February 2017, 3rd grade

Ancient Greek cuisine It was founded on the "Mediterranean triad": wheat ( stos), olive oil (, lthi)and wine (, inos- cut with water) Woman kneading bread, c. 500475 BC, National Archaeological Museum of Athens

The most characteristic and ancient element of Greek cuisine is olive oil, which is used in most dishes.

Meals Breakfast ( akratismos) consisted of barley bread dipped in wine ( akratos), sometimes complemented by figs or olives.They also ate pancakes called (tganits), deriving from (tagnon), "frying pan".Tagenites were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk. A quick lunch (), ariston was taken around noon or early afternoon.Dinner ( deipnon), the most important meal of the day, was generally taken at nightfall.

Cereals, fruit, vegetables, legumes. Cereals : The two main grains were wheat ( sitos) and barley ( krithe).Bread wheat, and the white bread were associated with the upper classes, while the poor ate coarse brown breads made from emmer wheat and barley.Fruit and vegetables were a significant part of the diet.Vegetables were eaten as soups, boiled or mashed , seasoned with olive oil, vinegar and herbs.

Lentils was one of the first domesticated crops to be introduced to Greece.Lentil soup ( phak) was the workman's typical dish.

Meatn the country, hunting (primarily trapping) allowed the consumption of birds and hares. Peasants also had farmyards to provide them with chickens and geese. Slightly wealthier landowners could raise goats, pigs, or sheep. In the city, meat was expensive except for pork. Sausages were common both for the poor and the rich.

Sacrifice; principal source of meat for city; tondo of an Attic kylix by the Epidromos Painter, c. 510500 BC, Louvre.

Fish In the Greek islands and on the coast, fresh fish and seafood (squid, octopus, and shellfish) were common.Sardines and anchovies were regular fare for the citizens of Athens. They were sometimes sold fresh, but more frequently salted.

In classical Athens, eels, conger-eels, and sea-perch () were considered to be great delicacies. Common salt water fish were yellowfin tuna, red mullet, ray, swordfish or sturgeon, a delicacy which was eaten salted. Lake Copais itself was famous in all Greece for its eels.

ggs, dairy products. Goat's and ewe's cheese ( tyros) was a staple food. Cheese was eaten alone or with honey or vegetables. It was also used as an ingredient in the preparation of many dishes, including fish dishes. Greeks bred quails and hens, partly for their eggs.Eggs were cooked soft- or hard-boiled as hors d'uvre or dessert.

pyriat and Oxygala () were milk products, similar to cottage cheese or perhaps to yogurt.

Byzantine cuisine (5th - 15th c. AD)Byzantine food consumption varied by class. The Imperial Palace was a metropolis of spices and exotic recipes; guests were entertained with fruits, honey-cakes and syrupy sweetmeats. Ordinary people ate more conservatively. The core diet consisted of bread, vegetables, pulses, and cereals prepared in varied ways. Salad was very popular.

Dairy products The Byzantines produced various cheeses, (for exemple: anthotiro or kefalintzin). They also ate shellfish and fish, both fresh and salt-water. They prepared eggs to make famous omelettes called sphoungata, i.e. "spongy"

Meat Most popular was the pork, which was cooked in various ways, as well as poultry.They also ate lambs, goats, cattle and hunting like deer and hares.

The meat was not an everyday food for the Byzantines. Not only because it was rather rare and expensive, but also because of the fasting dictated by the christian religion.

Fish, Sauces Most luxurious sauces were oil-based or butter. The most popular sauce was called "garos" heritated by the Romans and Greeks Garos was a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment.

Cuisine during the Ottoman period A standard meal consisted of: a piece of bread, an onion, a few olives or a piece of cheese or salted meat, legumes, grasses and some wine . During the major Christian holidays the meat was the main food.

Cuisine during the Ottoman periodIn the travelers texts of that era Christians ate mainly cuttlefish and caviar, while the Ottomans, coffee and rice (pilaf) . Later, coffee and pilaf was expanded and to the greek population.

Greeks continue to enjoy the same foods as their ancestors did: tripe soup, souvlaki (skewered meats), innards, lentil and bean soups, fish, shellfish and seafood,pies of all kinds, meatballs, raisins, honey, almonds and, fruits: figs, pomegranates and quince.

Food and dishes born in ancient times were passed on to the Roman Empire and from there to Byzantium, the Ottoman Empire and our own days. Recipes, techniques and tastes were loaned to neighbouring civilizations and then, borrowed back.

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

SOURCEShttp://exploringbyzantium.gr/EKBMM/Page?name=ypomeleti&lang=gr&id=21&sub=221&level=1&template=accessiblehttp://gastronomion.blogspot.gr/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_cuisine