8 Foods People in the 'Odyssey' Might Have Actually Eaten

The characters in Homer’s Odyssey devour a lot of strange foods. From the addictive lotuses that Odysseus and his crew narrowly evade on the Island of the Lotus-Eaters to the potion of barley meal, honey, cheese, wine, and pharmakon that the sorceress Circe brews in order to transform some of Odysseus’ crew into pigs, the menus in the Odyssey get pretty bizarre. 

However, most people who lived in the Bronze Age era in which the Odyssey is set actually ate pretty basic, simple, and nourishing diets. Many of the staples they relied on are still found in the Mediterranean diets of today, which have been associated with health and longevity.

At the same time, people ate differently depending on social classes, environment, and other factors. Here are some of the things people might have snacked on in 1200 BCE. 

1. Diluted Wine
2. Honey
3. Seafood
4. Sheep and Goat Cheese
5. Figs 
6. Fruits and Vegetables
7. Bread
8. Meat—Sometimes

Diluted Wine

Wine was a staple in ancient Greece. However, it was usually served diluted with water. At one point in the Odyssey, wine is served with 20 parts water to one part wine, though other evidence from the era suggests it was served three or four parts wine to one part water. 

“The Greeks drank their wine mixed with water, to moderate and harness its intoxicating effects,” Dr. Sean Corner, assistant professor in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies at McMaster University in Ontario, told Tasting Table. "They regarded drinking undiluted wine—which was liable to produce violence and disorder—as a savage practice.”

People also sometimes added spices or honey to their wine. In addition, ancient Greek breakfasts sometimes consisted of slices of bread dunked in wine. References to this beverage abound in the Odyssey, from the rich, strong wine that Odysseus uses to drug the Cyclops to the wine downed by Penelope’s suitors.

Honey

Dessert wasn’t really a thing in ancient Greece. But when people did snack on a sweet treat, it would usually be either figs or cheese doused in honey. The ancient Greeks didn’t have sugar, so honey was their only sweetener. Honey was valuable, but also appears in many recipes and medicines of the day.

Seafood

Unsurprisingly, most people who lived near the coast or on islands in ancient Greece ate a lot of seafood. Archaeological evidence from Mycenaean settlements shows that people ate fish like grouper, sea bass, and mullet, sometimes fresh and sometimes salted and dried. 

Sheep and Goat Cheese

Sheep and goats were key parts of the Mycenaean economy, and cheese made from their milk was common. Cheese even finds its way into the Odyssey, in a scene where characters witness Cyclops Polyphemus’s efforts at aging sheep and goat milk cheese in wicker baskets. According to the myth, Polyphemus was the first being ever to make cheese.

Ancient Greeks typically made a cheese similar to modern-day feta just like Polyphemus is said to: by mixing sheep and goat’s milk, curdling it with rennet, and salting and packing it in containers to brine. In 2005, Greece won its long fight to permanently establish authentic feta as cheese made solely in specific regions of Greece.

Figs 

Figs were beloved by people of all social classes in Bronze Age Greece. In the Odyssey, they appear in mythical gardens and on hillsides, and are generally viewed as symbols of abundance and wealth in the poem. 

A vital and prized crop in ancient Greece, figs were often dried and preserved so they could be eaten in the winter months. Figs were also given as gifts to winners in the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. In one story from Greek mythology, the goddess Demeter gifted fig trees to Athenians as she mourned the loss of her daughter Persephone, and this myth helped to create a link between figs and fertility.

Fruits and Vegetables

Ancient Greeks also enjoyed lots of other kinds of fruits, from raisins and dates to pomegranates and grapes. Vegetables were also common, and lentils were a staple of the diet of the day and were often cooked into soups or served plain.

Bread

Bread was a key part of the Bronze Age Greek diet. People of this era sometimes made bread from refined wheat flour, and some kind of grain was served at almost every meal, though poorer families usually ate porridge while bread was more common among wealthier people. 

Meat—Sometimes

The Odyssey contains countless references to meat—mostly lamb, mutton, and beef—being devoured by Odysseus or other characters. However, meat actually wasn’t so common in the Bronze Age. 

Cows were extremely expensive and were generally more prized for their ability to pull plows rather than their meat, and beef generally was served only at extremely special feasts after being sacrificed for the meal. Eating sheep and goats was more common, but lamb was quite rare, as sheep were more valued for their wool and milk rather than their meat. Still, every once in a while, an animal would be chosen as a sacrifice and eaten. 

Read More: