In 2nd-century Alexandria, a Greek meal unfolded in two parts. The **deipnon** was the main meal: a *sítos* (staple food, bread or legume porridge) accompanied by its *ópson* (what is eaten "with" it, such as fish, vegetables, or cheese). Then came the *tragḗmata*, little nibbles (figs, nuts, honey-and-sesame cakes). The whole affair often extended into the **symposion**, the drinking portion, where wine mixed with water circulated amid learned conversation — exactly the setting for discussions at the **Mouseion**.

Fermented fish sauce, the king condiment of the entire Roman Mediterranean. A few drops suffice to provide salt and that "umami" depth that the Ancients sought in nearly every savory dish. In Alexandria, a fishing port and commercial crossroads, it was everywhere on the table of a scholar from the **Mouseion**.