flipKykeon, the Barley and Cheese Mixture
Kykeon, the Barley and Cheese Mixture
Why this dish? A drink for travelers and the afflicted, the *kykeon* revived strength. Antiope, after her long wandering and flight to Mount Cithaeron, would have known this rustic mixture shared by shepherds and walkers, halfway between drink and meal.
A thick mixture of toasted barley stirred into wine or water, with grated goat cheese and herbs. The most archaic drink-meal of the Greeks, already in Homer.
When your legs can carry you no further and the road is long, here is what sets you back on your feet. You stir the toasted barley into dark wine, grate goat cheese into it, throw in a pinch of wild mint — and you stir, you stir, for *kykeon* means that: what is mixed. Drink it thick, almost with a spoon. I took such before climbing Cithaeron, and it sustained me until evening.
- •Toasted and ground barley (álphita) — two spoonfuls (base)
- •Red wine or spring water — one bowl (liquid)
- •Grated goat cheese — a handful (body)
- •Pennyroyal mint (glêchôn) — a pinch (flavor)
- •Honey — a dash, optional (sweetener)
Kykeon, the Barley and Cheese Mixture
A thick mixture of toasted barley stirred into wine or water, with grated goat cheese and herbs. The most archaic drink-meal of the Greeks, already in Homer.
Why this dish? A drink for travelers and the afflicted, the *kykeon* revived strength. Antiope, after her long wandering and flight to Mount Cithaeron, would have known this rustic mixture shared by shepherds and walkers, halfway between drink and meal.
When your legs can carry you no further and the road is long, here is what sets you back on your feet. You stir the toasted barley into dark wine, grate goat cheese into it, throw in a pinch of wild mint — and you stir, you stir, for *kykeon* means that: what is mixed. Drink it thick, almost with a spoon. I took such before climbing Cithaeron, and it sustained me until evening.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted and ground barley (álphita) — two spoonfuls (base)
- Red wine or spring water — one bowl (liquid)
- Grated goat cheese — a handful (body)
- Pennyroyal mint (glêchôn) — a pinch (flavor)
- Honey — a dash, optional (sweetener)
Ingredients
- Toasted barley flour — 2 tbsp (base)
- Light red wine or water — 200 ml (liquid)
- Dry grated goat cheese — 30 g (body)
- Fresh mint (if pennyroyal unavailable) — a few leaves (flavor)
- Honey — 1 tsp (optional) (sweetener)
Method
- Toast the barley flour in a dry pan for a few minutes.
- Gradually stir the flour into the wine or water to avoid lumps.
- Add the grated cheese and stir vigorously until thick and smooth.
- Season with chopped mint and, if desired, a dash of honey.
- Drink cool or at room temperature, stirring as the mixture settles.
How it was made : The *kykeon* appears as early as the *Iliad* (Nestor's cup) and the *Odyssey* (Circe's potion): barley, wine or water, cheese, and herbs mixed together. It was as much a food as a drink, energy-rich and easy to carry; a version with pennyroyal also served as a ritual in the Eleusinian Mysteries.
The contemporary twist : Serve as an "ancient smoothie" in a clay cup, sprinkled with toasted barley and a mint leaf.
Antiope · Charactorium
