Among the Greeks, the formal meal unfolded in two stages: first the deipnon, where breads, vegetables, fish, and roasted meats were placed on low tables before banquet couches; then the symposion, the drinking session, where wine mixed with water was shared from the krater, accompanied by tragemata (sweets, dried fruits, nuts) and songs. At the mythical court of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, whom Homer imagined as close to the gods, this pattern was enriched with an almost divine abundance.

A common thread in archaic Greek cuisine: it glazes meats, sweetens wine, and forms offering cakes. Honey links daily life, celebration, and the sacred — it is the sweetness that Greeks offered to gods and honored guests alike.