At the aristocratic table of Ithaca, the meal (deipnon) is not divided into starter-main-dessert but is organized around the hearth and sharing: it begins with a libation to the gods, then comes barley or wheat bread placed in a basket, meats roasted on a spit distributed according to rank (the honorary portion, géras, to the most worthy), cheese, and wine mixed with water in the krater. Nothing sweet at the end: honey and fruits accompany throughout. The feast (dais) follows the same order but in abundance, centered on a sacrifice.

In the houses of Ithaca, the mistress of the house presides over the grinding of barley and the curdling of goat's milk. The maza (barley cake) and tyros (cheese) are the signature of the Homeric aristocratic daily life, long before the meats of great days.