Eat Like an Ancient Greek Philosopher: The Aristotle Menu

[Jovialis]

This one appeals to me the most. I'm a huge fan of mussels and calamari.

I'm a lover of seafood in general.

This dish also has raisins in it, which I haven't heard of before. I wonder how it would jive with the seafood; I was pleasantly surprised by maple salmon.

I've eaten seafood in Greece before, and it was really good.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018...e-menu-photos/

[Angela]

This one appeals to me the most. I'm a huge fan of mussels and calamari.

I'm a lover of seafood in general.

This dish also has raisins in it, which I haven't heard of before. I wonder how it would jive with the seafood; I was pleasantly surprised by maple salmon.

I've eaten seafood in Greece before, and it was really good.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018...e-menu-photos/

How cool! I see definite similarities to things we eat today. The only difference in terms of Italian cooking is that other than the Sicilians we don't really put fruit in protein dishes.

The pheasant with cracked wheat is like polenta or what the Romans called puls, made with wheat before corn came from the New World in what they call "The Columbian Exchange". Then they put the meat and fruit (figs in this case) and vegetable in it to make a stew. I think all ancient people made a lot of one pot meals for obvious reasons.

This is cracked farro porridge, which is what puls would have been like. I bet they put fruit in it when it was available too.


I wonder what the "bitter greens" are...I don't know if they had broccoli rabe then. Maybe dandelion leaves? They're good in a salad with boiled eggs. I've never put cheese with sauteed greens, but why not?

The stewed macedonia of fruit looks great, but I'm not so sure of the "Sangria" with rose petals. I bet they put just fruit in the wine too, as we do today.

My favorite would be the mussel stew with what looks like orzo too; love, love, seafood.

[Yetos]

hahahaha

traditional army food, milleniums back Atheneans
Οψον
salted sardines





Later the Romans took only the salt as salary




a pitta from Zea seeds




Dried 'white' figs





we can discuss for hours,
for example Myceneans loved beef meat, and did not like fish,
Atheneans as pelasgians loved the fish and the honey,
Makedonian favorite was a bread mixed with grapes or very early wine

[Wheal]

I love fruit with protein. The sweet savory thing


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[Angela]

I love fruit with protein. The sweet savory thing


Sent from my iPad using Eupedia Forum

That combination was popular all the way into the Middle Ages, even in Italy, although it later fell out of fashion. I think things like pork with apples, or brown sugar added to ham, or to sauces for chicken are a remnant. In the Middle Ages they also put honey in a lot of protein dishes.

It's not my preference, although I enjoy those dishes. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I'm not crazy about sweets. Offered a choice between a piece of cake or some onion-garlic chips, I'd always go for the chips. :)

[Angela]

What soldiers ate on the march was different than what they ate at their camps.

"Avidius Cassius, a general who rebelled against Marcus Aurelius, ordered his troops to carry nothing except "laridum ac buccellatum at que acetum", ie. bacon fat, hardtack and "sour" wine (Avidius Cassius, v, 3). At certain times the soldiers did carry a skillet for making bread, so it wasn't always as bad as that.

Roman soldiers in camp ate extremely well, it seems: bread, porridge, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, fish and meat, both domesticated and game meat, cheeses, olive oil, and wine. Many of the vegetables and fruits, and even some of the domesticated animals were introduced by them to Britain. The Roman army grew grain and vegetables and kept herds, but this was supplemented by purchases from the locals and hunting and foraging. They ate a lot of game, for instance. They also farmed fish in ponds. Certain things had to be imported, mostly grain, because there was never enough, but also lentils, garum and wine, of course, and they seem to have been very fond of oysters, which must have been salted. The "salted fish" mentioned in the records, was, I'm sure, often sardines.

"
The majority of the Roman soldier's diet was comprised of grains, such as corn, wheat and barley. Grain was the soldier's main source of carbohydrate, and it was ground and used to make bread, porridge, soup and pasta. Approximately one-third of a ton of corn was consumed yearly by each Roman soldier."

They don't mean new world corn; they mean frumentum. They got approximately two pounds a day.

"Meat provided the soldier with protein and iron. Each Roman soldier received a daily ration of approximately 1 lb. of meat, typically bacon. The soldier would supplement this ration with pork, beef, veal, venison and mutton. The meat was often either boiled or roasted -- two cooking methods that are recognized today as healthy alternatives to frying."

They also ate poultry and eggs.

"Cheese was a mainstay of the Roman soldier's diet. It was made from the milk of livestock owned by the soldiers, such as cows, sheep or goats. In addition to meat, cheese was a source of fat for the Roman soldier. Insufficient fat consumption would increase his risk for developing an illness and dying.


Each Roman solider received a salt ration, which he used to preserve meat and fish. The soldiers were reluctant to eat unsalted meat, particularly when stationed in the middle of the desert, for fear of developing a food-borne illness. Food poisoning weakened the soldiers, thereby giving the enemy the advantage during a battle."


"The location of the Roman soldier's camp site determined the types of food and drink that were readily available for consumption. Various fruits, such as apples, cherries, peaches and plums, were enjoyed by the Roman soldier, as were different types of nuts, such as walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts. Honey was used to sweeten dishes. Consumption of beans and lentils was also common."

In addition to lentils, they ate a lot of chickpeas and fava beans. For vegetables they had: "celery, garlic, yellow squash, cabbage and other brassicas (such as kale and broccoli), lettuce, endive, onion, leek, asparagus, radishes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, green peas, chard, chicory, green beans, cardoons, olives, and cucumber."

Cato loved cabbage so much, and thought it so healthy that he advocated eating a lot of cabbage and then bathing in your own urine. YEEK! Have I mentioned before that I think Cato was a crackpot? :)

https://www.livestrong.com/article/3...-soldier-diet/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_cuisine


It seems to me their diet was basically that of the Greeks, but expanded as their empire expanded and new foodstuffs became available.

[Yetos]

an unknown plant seed
use by Makedonians for beer and a spicy oil
today grannies used it for practical medical purposes

λαλες lallemantia





the ματουλα (ματυλλα) tsihla
the bird cooked with wine for hours
great delicacy




and offcourse κοσσυφας.




ANCIENTS AVOID AS HELL HOT SPICY FOOD


the favorite fruits of ancient Makedonians

Cydonia Κυδων quince



and the αχλες απιδια and the wild γκορτσα (gor-ce slavic origin word)
pear and wild pear, made also a kind of a drink with



offcourse today markets push the apples,
but pears are very favorite here.
and peaches



http://krasodad.blogspot.com/2017/03/blog-post_82.html

the link is from research of AUTh

[davef]

I'll take the top one
"Pheasant with cracked wheat, Malagousia wine, dried figs and zucchini (air)"

[davef]

I also like this:
(The milk of Aphrodite, consisting of Lemnos wine (described by Homer in the Iliad), with rose petals and edible flowers (for earth)

And too bad the ancients would've refused curry soup with rice noodles! I had that last night for dinner, it was the best thing I had that was spicy enough to almost close my throat...had to slow down on the broth from then on but it was worth it!

[Yetos]

Something that still is eaten today,
is a great delicacy,
and is very old

παστελι pasteli or sesame pie σουσαμοπιττα

in a more ncient form as pie, sesame and honey




in a modern commercial form