Workshop Kykeon
Thick mixture of ground toasted barley mixed with water (or watered wine), with grated cheese and herbs. Both a drink and a snack, nourishing and tangy from the cheese. The "smoothie" of the ancient Greeks, liquid energy for laborers.
Thick mixture of ground toasted barley mixed with water (or watered wine), with grated cheese and herbs. Both a drink and a snack, nourishing and tangy from the cheese. The "smoothie" of the ancient Greeks, liquid energy for laborers.
Do you think a lame god has the leisure to sit at table long? When the metal awaits me in the crucible, I mix my toasted barley in cool water, grate a little goat cheese into it, crush an herb between my fingers, and drink standing, in one gulp. It holds to the body and steadies the arm. Homer's heroes drank nothing else before battle — and for me, my battle is the anvil that never sleeps.
- •Toasted barley flour (alphita) — a spoonful (body and nourishment)
- •Cool water (or watered wine) — a bowl (liquid)
- •Grated goat cheese — a pinch (acidity, protein)
- •Aromatic herb (mint, pennyroyal, thyme) — a few leaves (freshness)
- •Honey (optional) — a dash (sweetening)
Workshop Kykeon
Thick mixture of ground toasted barley mixed with water (or watered wine), with grated cheese and herbs. Both a drink and a snack, nourishing and tangy from the cheese. The "smoothie" of the ancient Greeks, liquid energy for laborers.
Why this dish? The kykeon is the thick drink of workers and heroes in Homer — barley, water, grated cheese, sometimes wine and herbs. For Hephaestus, the tireless workshop worker, it is the beverage that quenches thirst and restores between hammer blows, halfway between drinking and eating.
Do you think a lame god has the leisure to sit at table long? When the metal awaits me in the crucible, I mix my toasted barley in cool water, grate a little goat cheese into it, crush an herb between my fingers, and drink standing, in one gulp. It holds to the body and steadies the arm. Homer's heroes drank nothing else before battle — and for me, my battle is the anvil that never sleeps.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted barley flour (alphita) — a spoonful (body and nourishment)
- Cool water (or watered wine) — a bowl (liquid)
- Grated goat cheese — a pinch (acidity, protein)
- Aromatic herb (mint, pennyroyal, thyme) — a few leaves (freshness)
- Honey (optional) — a dash (sweetening)
Ingredients
- Toasted barley flour (or blended and toasted barley flakes) — 2 tbsp (body)
- Cool water — 250 ml (liquid)
- Fresh goat cheese or crumbled feta — 30 g (acidity)
- Fresh mint or thyme — a few leaves (freshness)
- Honey — 1 tsp (optional) (sweetening)
Method
- Toast the barley flour dry if not already done, let cool slightly.
- Whisk the flour into the cool water to avoid lumps (consistency of thick milk).
- Add the grated/crumbled cheese and whisk or briefly blend.
- Add the chopped herbs and, to taste, a dash of honey.
- Drink immediately, well chilled — the mixture thickens on standing; add a little water if needed.
How it was made : The kykeon (from kykaō, "to mix") appears as early as Homer: Hecamede prepares one for Nestor with Pramnian wine, goat cheese, and barley. It existed in a profane version (workers' drink) and a ritual version (the barley, water, and pennyroyal of the Eleusinian Mysteries kykeon). A drink-meal, it satisfied hunger as much as thirst.
The contemporary twist : Serve "blacksmith's barley" chilled in a small thick glass, like a savory ancient lassi, with a mint leaf and a drizzle of olive oil on top.
Sources : Homer, Iliad, Book XI (Hecamede's kykeon for Nestor) · Homeric Hymn to Demeter (kykeon of the Eleusinian Mysteries) · A. Dalby, Food in the Ancient World from A to Z (2003)
Hephaestus · Charactorium