The ancient Greek meal revolves around the *sitos* — the grain base (barley cake, wheat bread) — accompanied by the *opson*, the "that which is eaten with it": legumes, fish, cheese, roasted meat, all drizzled with olive oil. People eat seated or reclining, by daylight or lamplight. The meal ends with the *symposion*, the second part where wine mixed with water is drunk in honor of the gods, along with honey and sesame sweets. Nothing equals, for the blacksmith of the gods, the smoke rising from the embers: it is through fire that raw matter becomes food, just as metal becomes a masterpiece.

Hephaestus' emblematic technique is not a spice but the element he masters: fire. Direct cooking on hot coals (*eschara*), dry heat that sears, browns, and perfumes with smoke. The god of the forge cooks as he forges — close to the flame — and the toasted barley, honey caramelized over the embers, and seared meat all bear his mark.