est. 1995
The Athens Institute
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1995-2025: 30 Years of Bringing Academics and Scholars together in Athens
Ancient Athenian Dinner
Offered by the President of the Athens Institute
Ancient Athenian Dinner (includes in order of appearance: continuous academic discussions, dinner with recipes from ancient Athens, wine/water): Inside the Conference Venue. The seating arrangements are exclusively done by the Athens Institute’s staff. This is a private event organized by the Athens Institute exclusively for the conference participants and their accompanying persons. It requires pre-booking and is hosted by the President of the Athens Institute, assisted by all willing Symposiasts. The tasks include shopping, cooking, serving, and cleaning. It is participatory democracy in action and strictly follows the logistics of Plato’s famous symposium of 416 BCE.
Salad: Lettuce [Modern Greek: Μαρούλι. Ancient Greek: θρίδαξ or θρίδακος].
While there isn’t a specific ancient Greek term for “lettuce salad” as we understand it today, a dish featuring lettuce and other mixed greens might have been referred to simply in the context of its components, such as “θρίδαξ με λάχανα” (thrídax me láchana), meaning “lettuce with vegetables/greens.”
Appetizer: Beetroot [Modern Greek: Κοκκινογούλι ή Παντζάρι. Ancient Greek: τεῦτλον, or σεῦτλον].
According to legend the goddess Aphrodite ate beet root and drank its juice to maintain her beauty, and a beet root was worth its weight in silver after being offered to Apollo at the Temple of the Oracle of Delphi. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, adopted the use of beetroot leaves to heal quickly the wounds of soldiers from constant duels and battles and avoid an infection. The beetroot was consumed by the ancient Greeks as an appetizer and its leaves were cooked with honey and wine. Its root was used as a therapeutic agent for fever, skin problems as well as digestive disorders. It is mentioned by Aristophanes and in a work called Βατραχομυομαχία (frogmicefight) which in the Hellenistic years was considered as the work of Homer.
Main Dish #1: Type of a Bean [Modern Greek: Φασόλια Γίγαντες. Ancient Greek: Φάσηλος]. A bean soupe was called ἔτνος
Beans in ancient Greece were probably a type of lupine (Lupinus). The ἔτνος (bean soup) was the favorite food of Hercules. It is mentioned as a soupe (ἔτνος) by Aristophanes. In Frogs (503-507) Aristophanes says that Heracles ate two or three pots (χύτρας) of bean soupe (ἔτνους). In Aristophane’s Peace (1144-1145) “warm up three measures of those beans, mix in some wheat with them, and give us figs”.
Main Dish #2 Artichoke [Modern Greek: Αγκινάρα. Ancient Greek: Κυνάρα].
Artichokes are considered the 3,000-year-old Greek super food. In Ancient Greece it was considered as food for the Gods of Olympus, while in Ancient Rome it was only intended for the aristocrats. According to ancient mythology, the first artichoke was actually a beautiful, young woman named Cynara (Κυνάρα) who lived on an island in the Aegean Sea. One day Dias visited his brother Poseidon and suddenly saw Cynara bathing on the shores of the island. He immediately fell in love with her and made her a goddess so she can be with him on Olympus. But Cynara felt nostalgic for her old way of life and very often she would secretly leave Olympus and go down to her island. When Zeus realized this, blinded by jealousy, he became angry and turned Cynara into a plant, which was no other than artichoke.
Main Dish #3: Souvlaki [Modern Greek: Σουβλάκι Ancient Greek: Ὀβελίσκος = small spit – skewer]
It was first mentioned in the Homeric Epics, e.g., Achilles roasting pieces of meat. Athenaeus (late 2nd Century – early 3rd Century) in his book The Deipnosophists (The Dinner-Sophists) has a recipe of pieces of grilled meat, cheese, pita and dill served with juice. It was mentioned by many including Aristophanes, Xenophon, and Aristotle.
Bread [Modern Greek: Ψωμί. Ancient Greek: ἄρτος]
In ancient Athens, bread was commonly referred to as “ἄρτος” (artos). This term specifically denoted leavened bread, which was the most common type of bread consumed. Unleavened bread, on the other hand, was referred to as “ἄζυμος” (azymos), a term still recognized in modern languages, such as “azymes” in French, which denotes unleavened bread.
![Bread [Modern Greek: Ψωμί. Ancient Greek: ἄρτος]](https://www.atiner.gr/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_20240710_073012-e1721799155733-1024x788.jpg "Bread [Modern Greek: Ψωμί. Ancient Greek: ἄρτος]")
![Bread [Modern Greek: Ψωμί. Ancient Greek: ἄρτος]](https://www.atiner.gr/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_20240724_082817-e1721799041718-1024x807.jpg "Bread [Modern Greek: Ψωμί. Ancient Greek: ἄρτος]")
Dessert: Baklavas [Modern Greek: Μπακλαβάς (coming from the Turkish baklava). Ancient Greek: κοπτοπλακούς]
This is a genuine Greek dessert known in Crete since the Minoan era (3000 BCE to 1450 BCE). Athenaeus (late 2nd Century – early 3rd Century) in his book The Deipnosophists (The Dinner-Sophists) mentions that in Crete they make a kind of sweet pie called gastrin. Gastrin is an energetic sweet of great nutritional value, its pastry sheets made from wheat flour, honey, nuts, olive oil, and lemon juice. A true treasure of taste, health and strength.
The Water is from Penteli Mountain Spring
The Wine is from Mesogeia
