The Ancient Greek Pantry

 

🫒 Staples of the Ancient Greek Pantry

1. Grains & Bread

• Barley – Their #1 grain. Used for maza (a kind of doughy bread-cake or porridge).

• Wheat – Pricier than barley; reserved for finer breads.

• Maza – The “fast food” of the day. Flattened barley cakes, soaked with wine or oil, sometimes sprinkled with cheese or herbs.

2. Olive Oil & Olives

• Not just for eating—used in everything from cooking to skincare to lamp fuel.

• Think of olive oil as liquid gold—they used it like we use butter, broth, lotion, and candle wax all in one.

3. Honey

• Their only real sweetener. Drizzled on fruit, stirred into wine, slathered on bread.

• Baklava wasn’t around yet, but they did love honey cakes and fig treats.

4. Dairy

• Mostly goat cheese and sheep cheese. Tangy and rustic.

• Yogurt-style curds? Yes! They likely had early versions of this.

• Milk wasn’t drunk often—it was more for cheese-making.

5. Fruits & Veggies

• Figs, grapes, pomegranates, dates – Sweet snacks or dried for later.

• Leeks, onions, garlic, lentils, chickpeas – These were the everyday veggies.

• Greens and herbs – Wild and cultivated: fennel, mint, oregano, thyme.

6. Fish & Meat

• Fish and seafood were the main protein. Salted, grilled, or boiled.

• Meat was rarer—more for sacrifices or festivals.

  • Goat, lamb, sometimes pork or beef.

  • Chicken? Yes, but less common than you'd expect.

7. Wine

• Diluted with water (undiluted wine was for barbarians or Dionysus on a bender).

• Flavored wines existed! Herbs, honey, resin (yes, that’s where retsina comes from).

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🏺 Special Pantry Add-Ons

— Silphium: A now-extinct herb used like a super-seasoning. So prized it was literally worth its weight in silver.

— Garum: Technically Roman, but some say early Greeks had their version—fermented fish sauce. Sounds nasty but packed a flavor punch.

— Vinegar & brine: Used for preserving and flavoring, especially in dressings.