flipThe Kykeon, Barley and Cheese Drink
The Kykeon, Barley and Cheese Drink
Why this dish? The kykeon is the beverage that the Odyssey and Iliad have prepared to comfort weary bodies — the one Circe even offers to Odysseus. In the house of Anticlea, a mother consumed by waiting, it is the nourishing drink of vigils and days of fatigue, halfway between potion and liquid meal.
A thick mixture of barley flour, wine, and grated goat cheese, flavored with honey. Neither quite a drink nor quite a soup: the liquid comfort of Homeric heroes.
When the heart fails and the legs can no longer carry, here is what I beat in the cup: barley flour, my dark wine from Ithaca, and goat cheese that I grate myself. A little honey to soften the bitterness, and I stir until everything blends. Drink it slowly, stranger: it restores strength to those who have lost it. I have drunk it many evenings, watching on the threshold for a son who did not return.
- •Toasted barley flour — two spoonfuls (nourishing thickener)
- •Wine — a cup (liquid base)
- •Goat cheese — a handful, grated (body and salt)
- •Honey — a drizzle (sweetness)
The Kykeon, Barley and Cheese Drink
A thick mixture of barley flour, wine, and grated goat cheese, flavored with honey. Neither quite a drink nor quite a soup: the liquid comfort of Homeric heroes.
Why this dish? The kykeon is the beverage that the Odyssey and Iliad have prepared to comfort weary bodies — the one Circe even offers to Odysseus. In the house of Anticlea, a mother consumed by waiting, it is the nourishing drink of vigils and days of fatigue, halfway between potion and liquid meal.
When the heart fails and the legs can no longer carry, here is what I beat in the cup: barley flour, my dark wine from Ithaca, and goat cheese that I grate myself. A little honey to soften the bitterness, and I stir until everything blends. Drink it slowly, stranger: it restores strength to those who have lost it. I have drunk it many evenings, watching on the threshold for a son who did not return.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted barley flour — two spoonfuls (nourishing thickener)
- Wine — a cup (liquid base)
- Goat cheese — a handful, grated (body and salt)
- Honey — a drizzle (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Barley flour (lightly toasted dry) — 2 tbsp (thickener)
- Light red wine — 250 ml (liquid base)
- Dry grated goat cheese (like aged feta or hard goat cheese) — 40 g (body and salt)
- Honey — 1 tsp (sweetness)
- Water — a little, to adjust (binder)
Method
- Lightly toast the barley flour in a dry pan to bring out its flavor.
- Pour the wine (and a little water) into a cup or wide bowl.
- Add the barley flour in a stream while whisking to avoid lumps.
- Incorporate the grated cheese and whisk until it dissolves into the liquid.
- Sweeten with a drizzle of honey, taste and adjust.
- Serve cool or at room temperature, stirring as the mixture tends to settle.
How it was made : The kykeon (from kykáô, 'to mix') is attested since Homer: Hecamede prepares it for Nestor in the Iliad with Pramnian wine, grated goat cheese, and barley flour; Circe offers it to Odysseus. A drink-meal of heroic times, it was also used in certain rites (the Eleusinian Mysteries had a wine-free version). It was drunk unfiltered, thick and rustic.
The contemporary twist : Serve well chilled in a frosted glass as a savory-sweet 'ancient smoothie' — disconcerting but surprisingly close to a lassi.
Anticleia · Charactorium
