Kykeon, the thick restorative drink
A thick, cool drink of toasted barley mixed with water, brightened with grated cheese, mint, and a splash of wine or verjuice. Halfway between cold soup and beverage.
A thick, cool drink of toasted barley mixed with water, brightened with grated cheese, mint, and a splash of wine or verjuice. Halfway between cold soup and beverage.
You are thirsty and weary? Then prepare the kykeon as the habits of men have taught me. Mix the barley flour in cool water, grate a little dry cheese over it, throw in a handful of mint and a hint of wine. Stir, stir constantly with your right hand, for the barley settles to the bottom if you forget it. Drink it thick: it is neither quite a food nor quite a drink, but it restores strength to those weighed down by toil.
- •Toasted barley flour — two spoonfuls (body of the drink)
- •Cool water — one cup (base)
- •Grated dry cheese (aged goat type) — a little (flavor, fermented)
- •Fresh mint (or pennyroyal) — a few leaves (flavor)
- •Wine or verjuice — a splash (acidity)
- •Honey — to taste (optional sweetener)
Kykeon, the thick restorative drink
A thick, cool drink of toasted barley mixed with water, brightened with grated cheese, mint, and a splash of wine or verjuice. Halfway between cold soup and beverage.
Why this dish? Pandora belongs to the world of Hesiod and Homer, where the kykeon — a mixture of barley, water, grated cheese, and herbs — comforts exhausted heroes and accompanies evening vigils. A humble and ancient drink, it suits her who inaugurated the laborious daily life of mortals.
You are thirsty and weary? Then prepare the kykeon as the habits of men have taught me. Mix the barley flour in cool water, grate a little dry cheese over it, throw in a handful of mint and a hint of wine. Stir, stir constantly with your right hand, for the barley settles to the bottom if you forget it. Drink it thick: it is neither quite a food nor quite a drink, but it restores strength to those weighed down by toil.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted barley flour — two spoonfuls (body of the drink)
- Cool water — one cup (base)
- Grated dry cheese (aged goat type) — a little (flavor, fermented)
- Fresh mint (or pennyroyal) — a few leaves (flavor)
- Wine or verjuice — a splash (acidity)
- Honey — to taste (optional sweetener)
Ingredients
- Toasted barley flour (or cooked hulled barley, blended) — 3 tbsp (body)
- Cool water — 250 ml (base)
- Grated dry goat cheese — 30 g (fermented flavor)
- Fresh mint — 5-6 leaves (flavor)
- Verjuice or tart grape juice (or a splash of white wine) — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Honey — 1 tsp (optional) (sweetener)
Method
- Whisk the barley flour into the cool water to avoid lumps.
- Stir in the grated cheese and chopped mint.
- Add the verjuice (or wine) and, if desired, a little honey.
- Stir vigorously just before serving, as the barley settles quickly.
- Serve well chilled in a cup, drinking thick and stirring between sips.
How it was made : The kykeon (from kykao, "to mix") is mentioned as early as the Iliad and the Odyssey: Circe prepares one for Odysseus, Nestor serves one to the wounded. It was both a restorative and a drink, and a sacred version of the kykeon was drunk during the Eleusinian Mysteries. Grated cheese and herbs were common; it was drunk plain or with added wine.
The contemporary twist : Served iced in a frosted glass, like an "ancient smoothie" with barley and verjuice: surprisingly refreshing as a summer drink.
Pandora · Charactorium
