Byzantine cuisine
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Byzantine culture |
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Byzantine cuisine was the continuation of local
Cooks experimented with new combinations of food, creating two styles in the process. These were the eastern (
Diet
Byzantine food consumption varied by class, location and time period. The Imperial Palace was a metropolis of spices and exotic recipes; guests were entertained with fruits, honey-cakes and syrupy
Thanks to the location of Constantinople between popular trade routes, Byzantine cuisine was augmented by cultural influences from several locales—such as
The Byzantines produced various cheeses, including
Byzantine citizens obtained other kinds of meat by hunting animals like deer and wild boar, a favourite and distinguished occupation of men. They usually hunted with dogs and
Middle and lower class citizens in cities such as
Grains
The two main grains in Byzantine Anatolia were
Bread played a major part in the Byzantine diet.: 161
Meat
Meat was probably not a luxury food in Byzantine times – most people could afford to eat it relatively often.
In general, the Byzantines seem to have especially liked fatty meat.[3]: 167 Many meat dishes were cooked in large amounts of fat.[3]: 167 Meat from livestock was preferred over game meat.[3]: 167 Meat from young animals was especially preferred.[3]: 167 Diverse animal bones found at Corinth, dated to sometimes after the mid-1200s, indicate that a wide range of meats was eaten during the Late Byzantine period.[3]: 168
The single most common preserved meat was salted pork.
Beef, on the other hand, was less commonly eaten than either pork, sheep, or goat because cattle were mostly used for working in the fields instead.[3]: 167 Meat from adult male goats was considered unappetizing by most Byzantines.[3]: 167
Many different birds were eaten.[3]: 168 The most common, based on animal bone finds at Corinth, was chicken.[3]: 168 Poultry was aged by hanging the bird carcasses up to enhance their taste and texture.[3]: 168
Meat was cooked in a variety of ways.
Seafood
In some regions, fish and seafood formed another important source of animal protein.[3]: 169 Seafood was especially popular on fast days.[3]: 169 Near the sea or rivers, fresh fish was consumed; farther away, fish was dried, salted, or smoked.[3]: 169 Before being preserved this way, the fish was marinated in water mixed with salt and thyme.[3] Dried fish was eaten by soldiers on expeditions.[3]: 169 Sturgeon was eaten by wealthier households.[3]: 169 Methods of cooking fish included boiling, frying, baking, grilling, and roasting.[3]: 169 Fish was often served with a sauce.[3]: 169 The Prodromic poems also depict an "unusual" dish of a fish stew with cheeses as well as a different dish involving fish seasoned with cloves, cinnamon, and other spices.[3]: 169 Poorer urban households also ate tarichos (τάριχος) – salted, pickled fish sold by grocers instead of fishmongers.[3]: 169
Non-meat animal products
Non-meat animal products like eggs and dairy were relatively cheap and provided an important source of nutrients.[3]: 168 Many different types of eggs were eaten, including chicken, goose, duck, partridge, and pheasant.[3]: 168 They could be scrambled or made into omelettes called sphoungata.[3]: 169 The Prodromic poems mention a dish like this made with onions and other seasonings.[3]: 169 In Byzantine culture, eggs were considered food for people who were sick or fasting.[3]: 168
Cheese, another popular food, was derived from cows, sheep, goats, or water buffalo.[3]: 169 It came in various kinds, both hard and soft.[3]: 169 Paphlagonian cheese was a popular variety eaten in Constantinople.[3]: 169 The Prodromic poems also describe Cretan and Vlach cheese, as well as a kind of soft mountain cheese that probably refers to cottage cheese.[3]: 169 Cheese could also be curdled, using rennet, fig juice and leaves, or artichokes.[3]: 169 It could also be breaded with crumbs or meal and then fried in hot oil.[3]: 169
Byzantine people also drank milk fairly commonly.[3]: 168 It was considered best to drink it warm, so it was often heated.[3]: 168 People would also drink milk straight from the animal.[3]: 168
Fats like butter and lard were used as a substitute for olive oil in colder inland regions that could not support olive tree cultivation.[3] They were also used as preservatives and, especially in rugged inland areas such as the Mecitözü valley, eaten by themselves.[3]: 168
Beehives from Byzantine Greeks allowed citizens to procure and sell honey on a large scale. The use of honey was noted in a variety of cooking, pastry and tea recipes. In 1152 a tax was introduced on beekeeping.[7]
Sweets
Many scholars state that Byzantine koptoplakous (
Drink
Nutrition
Archaeological studies in central Anatolia indicate that the average Byzantine peasant household was more or less self-sufficient in food supplies, and their diet would have been relatively well-balanced.
Food preservation
Food preservation was seen as a necessity in the Byzantine empire to create surplus and maintain freshness for foods crossing trade routes. Methods of food preservation include smoking, pressing, salting, drying and sealing contents in dry areas. Both nuts and fruits were sun dried. Alcohol and smoke were used to disinfectant products so bacteria wouldn’t grow and cause rot.[12]
Tableware and customs
While Byzantine pottery found at excavations in Boeotia was decorated with innovative techniques and designs that combined elements from local culture and Islamic art, the shape and function of tablewares remained simple - jugs were uncommon, and the wide, shallow bowls and dishes were too porous to use as drinking vessels or for watery soups or stews.[13]
The personal table fork is suspected to have been invented in the Byzantine Empire where they were commonly used by the 4th century.[14][15]
By the 13th-century, the previous style of dishes was replaced by bowls that were deeper and narrower, suitable as vessels for liquids, stews or beverages. Stylized and geometric floral patterns became more common than the animal and human figures of earlier tableware and the quality of lead glaze was dramatically improved over the coarse and non-durable, soft tableware of previous centuries.[13]
The extent to which changes in tableware were a result of changes in the style of foods consumed in Boetia is a matter of further study. Because written sources are lacking, scholars have taken into consideration the visual evidence depicted on pottery, medieval icons, and
Some scholars believe the dishes in the fresco may be symbolic rather than representations of historical dining habits. Fish are shown in the plate, but research on
Based on studies of middle and lower class household goods, Nikolaos Oikonomides concluded that the average Byzantine household "often, if not always, ate with their fingers from a large serving plate and drank from a common cup or jar (made of clay).[13]
See also
Modern:
General:
Notes
Scholarly opinion on what the average Byzantine citizen ate is divided.[3]: 158 Some, such as John L. Teall, Alexander Kazhdan, and Giles Constable, suggested that "the average Byzantine was undernourished, consuming only bread, vegetables, and wine, but rarely meat or fish".[3]: 158 Joanita Vroom, on the other hand, suggested that a much wider range of foods were available to the average Byzantine.[3]: 158 Grains, pulses, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and meat, wine, olive oil, and honey were all part of the typical Byzantine diet according to her.[3]: 158
References
- ^ Chrysopouios, Phillip (2 June 2022). "The Ancient Greek Roots of Feta, The Oldest Cheese in Recorded History". GreekReporter.
- doi:10.2307/2850780. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-108-47115-2.
- ^ a b "Internet History Sourcebooks Project". www.fordham.edu.
- ISBN 9789600201413.
- ^ Skordaki-Kasimi, Vasiliki (2019). Η Παρουσία των διατροφικών αγαθών στα έθιμα του κύκλου της ζωής και του χρόνου στο Βυζάντιο (Thesis) (in Greek). University of Peloponnese. p. 47.
Οι Βυζαντινοί μεταχειρίζονταν τα λεπτά έντερα των αιγοπροβάτων όπως περίπου και οι σημερινοί Έλληνες όταν παρασκευάζουν κοκορέτσι· ονομάζονταν χορδαί ή χορδία (ή κόρδα στην βόρεια Πελοπόννησο) και με μια απλή διαδικασία αναστρέφονταν με την βοήθεια ενός μικρού ξύλου για να καθαριστούν. Τυλίγονταν στην συνέχεια σε πλεξούδες, με το ανάλογο σχήμα, ή γύρω από άλλα εντόσθια σε σούβλα, όπως το κοκορέτσι. Άλλες ονομασίες που εντοπίζονται σε μεσαιωνικά κείμενα είναι τα γαρδούμενον και γαρδούμιον, που θυμίζουν την ονομασία γαρδούμπα.
- ^ Germanidou, Sophia (2018). "Honey culture in Byzantium: an outline of textual, iconographic and archaeological evidence". Academia.
- ISBN 9780907325161– via Google Books.
- ISBN 0226233472.
- ^ Speros Vryonis The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor, 1971, p. 482
- ^ Ktisti, Sarah (Aug 11, 2009). "Ancient Cypriot wine enters vintage major league". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ Leestemaker, Linda (14 December 2014). "The need for preserved food in the Byzantine Empire". Academia.
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-0-345-40102-1.
- ISBN 978-1-59257-924-2.
Sources
- Dalby, Andrew (2003), Flavours of Byzantium, Totnes, England: Prospect Books, ISBN 1-903018-14-5