Diet

The quality and variety of food in Byzantium was heavily dependent on the crop and livestock production of each region, as well as on family resources. Most people apparently had two main meals a day, at noon and in the evening, though additional meals could be served in the morning and afternoon.
 
Olive oil, olives and bread of varying quality, either homemade or market- bought, were the staple foods in the Byzantine diet. Viniculture was so widespread that wine was rarely absent from the table; depending on its flavor, it was classified as thick, thin, sweetish or astringent.
 
Meat was not consumed frequently, and would have been a luxury for the lower classes. Indicative of this is the fact that domesticated animals were primarily bred for their dairy products and eggs, not for their meat. In contrast, fish consumption was high, especially amongst the clergy and in monasteries. Whilst only the rich could afford to buy large and expensive fish, other seafood (mackerel, sardines, octopus, squid, cuttlefish and salt fish) was eaten by all.

Cheese was another staple for the Byzantines, being likewise available in many forms: Vlach and Cretan cheeses were regarded as choice varieties, whereas white asvestotyro was of low quality. Vegetables and legumes were the most important side dishes, also serving as main meals for the poor. Many households grew vegetables and consumed them either raw or pickled. Lettuce, cabbage, spinach and onions were commonest, while the favorite legumes were beans, lentils, chickpeas and broad beans.

Desserts consisted mainly made of honey and nuts, complemented by fruit such as apples, pears, figs, loquats, quinces, melons and grapes.

Although the Byzantine diet was relatively plain, food was flavoured by the addition of seasonings, spices (salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, vinegar, and garlic) and herbs (dill, fennel, rosemary, oregano, capers). The most popular sauce was garos, made from fish and fish offal blended with salt and old wine, a condiment that seems to have been the main way of making food tastier.

1. Καλαμαρά, Π., Διατροφικές συνήθειες και γευστικές προτιμήσεις στο Βυζάντιο, 2008

2. Κουκουλές Φ., Βυζαντινών Βίος και Πολιτισμός, Παπαζήση, Athens, 1954

3. Μότσιας, Χ., Τι έτρωγαν οι Βυζαντινοί, Athens, 1998

4. -------------------, ‘Βυζαντινών διατροφή και μαγειρείαι’ in Πρακτικά ημερίδας «Περί της διατροφής στο Βυζάντιο, Athens, 2005

5. Καθημερινή ζωή στο Βυζάντιο, Athens, 2002

6. Σταμπόγλη, Ε., Πρόσκληση σε γεύμα, Athens, 1997

7. ‘Τα εν οίκω...εν δήμω’ in Ψηφίδες του Βυζαντίου, Athens