Ancient Greek cuisine

Ancient Greek cuisine was characterized by its frugality for most, reflecting agricultural hardship, but a great diversity of ingredients was known, and wealthy Greeks were known to celebrate with elaborate meals and feasts. The cuisine was founded on the "Mediterranean triad" of cereals, olives, and grapes, which had many uses and great commercial value, but other ingredients were as important, if not more so, to the average diet: most notably legumes. Research suggests that the agricultural system of Ancient Greece could not have succeeded without the cultivation of legumes. Modern knowledge of ancient Greek cuisine and eating habits is derived from textual, archeological, and artistic evidence. In the homeric epics of Iliad and Odyssey, three meals are mentioned. Ariston (ἄριστον) Dorpon (δόρπον) or Dorpos (δόρπος) Deipnon (δεῖπνον) Ariston was the early meal, while dorpon was the late meal. Deipnon could be either, without reference to time. In the later age Greeks had the below meals: Acratisma (ἀκράτισμα) Ariston Deipnon Acratisma was the early meal (similar to the ariston of the homeric age), ariston was the middle meal and deipnon was the evening meal (similar to the dorpon of the homeric age). Breakfast (ἀκρατισμός akratismós and ἀκράτισμα akratisma, acratisma) consisted of barley bread dipped in wine (ἄκρατος ákratos), sometimes complemented by figs, dates or olives. They also ate a sort of pancake called τηγανίτης (tēganítēs), ταγηνίτης (tagēnítēs) or ταγηνίας (tagēnías), all words deriving from τάγηνον (tágēnon), "frying pan". The earliest attested references on tagenias are in the works of the 5th century BC poets Cratinus and Magnes. Tagenites were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk, and were served for breakfast. Another kind of pancake was σταιτίτης (staititēs), from σταίτινος (staitinos), "of flour or dough of spelt", derived from σταῖς (stais), "flour of spelt". Athenaeus in his Deipnosophistae mentions staititas topped with honey, sesame and cheese.