Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

Private Life 143
hollowed-out tree trunk. There were two kinds of bread: maza,
made from barley flour, and artos, a white bread made from wheat.
Because barley was more plentiful than wheat, artos was something
of a luxury, largely confined to the wealthy or served to the populace
at festivals. The Greeks ate bread with honey, cheese, and olive oil.
They also cooked it in a porridge or broth. The word opson described
any type of food that was eaten with bread or other cereal.
Meat and Fish
Pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens provided most of the meat that
was consumed by the Greeks. Large livestock, including cows
and oxen, were in short supply, particularly in Attica. In general,
however, meat was a rarity, particularly for those living in the city.
Although most Greeks ate a simple casserole of game or poultry
on a fairly regular basis, the only occasion when they would have
tasted roasted meat was on feast days. The climax to every religious
festival was the ritual slaughter of a large number of animals.
This may be another reason why meat was rarely served in the
home—because it was so closely associated with ritual. Although
the ostensible purpose of a sacrifice was to honor the gods, the
Greeks gave the least edible parts—the thigh pieces—to the gods.
The rest they devoured themselves. All those who attended a sacrifice
received a portion of meat, the choicest parts of which were
reserved for the priests.
Fish, both fresh and dried and salted, seems to have been regarded
as more of a delicacy than meat, judging by the fact that it is more
frequently mentioned in cookery than meat. Some of the best fish,
including mackerel, sturgeon, tuna, sea bream, and mullet, was
Bulls being led to sacrifice. Courtesy akg-images, London:
Peter Connolly.