flipBarley Maza with Oil and Cheese
Barley Maza with Oil and Cheese
Why this dish? Maza, not wheat bread, was the daily bread of most Athenians. Sophocles, a wealthy citizen but son of an arms manufacturer, grew up eating it at every meal; it is the basic gesture of every Attic table, the one found before the first performance as after.
A thick flatbread or paste of toasted barley flour, kneaded with water and olive oil, topped with a little fresh cheese. Simple, nourishing, it is the foundation of the Greek plate on which everything else rests.
Approach, stranger, and do not disdain this humble flatbread: it is she who nourishes the city before it nourishes its poets. The barley is toasted, ground, kneaded with a drizzle of oil and spring water, and crumbled over it the goat cheese that shepherds bring down from Hymettus. At my table as at that of the humblest rower in the fleet, we first break the maza; wheat and fish come only afterward, for those who can afford them. Eat slowly, for the grain is the gift of Demeter, and one does not mock the gods who give bread.
- •Toasted barley flour (alphita) — two handfuls (cereal base)
- •Olive oil — a drizzle (binder and fat)
- •Spring water — as needed (hydration)
- •Fresh goat cheese — a piece (salty relish)
- •Sea salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Barley Maza with Oil and Cheese
A thick flatbread or paste of toasted barley flour, kneaded with water and olive oil, topped with a little fresh cheese. Simple, nourishing, it is the foundation of the Greek plate on which everything else rests.
Why this dish? Maza, not wheat bread, was the daily bread of most Athenians. Sophocles, a wealthy citizen but son of an arms manufacturer, grew up eating it at every meal; it is the basic gesture of every Attic table, the one found before the first performance as after.
Approach, stranger, and do not disdain this humble flatbread: it is she who nourishes the city before it nourishes its poets. The barley is toasted, ground, kneaded with a drizzle of oil and spring water, and crumbled over it the goat cheese that shepherds bring down from Hymettus. At my table as at that of the humblest rower in the fleet, we first break the maza; wheat and fish come only afterward, for those who can afford them. Eat slowly, for the grain is the gift of Demeter, and one does not mock the gods who give bread.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted barley flour (alphita) — two handfuls (cereal base)
- Olive oil — a drizzle (binder and fat)
- Spring water — as needed (hydration)
- Fresh goat cheese — a piece (salty relish)
- Sea salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Barley flour (or blended barley flakes) — 150 g (cereal base)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (binder and fat)
- Warm water — 80 to 100 ml (hydration)
- Fresh goat cheese (or crumbled feta) — 60 g (salty relish)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
Method
- Toast the barley flour dry in a pan for a few minutes until it smells nutty, then let cool.
- Mix the flour, salt, and oil, then add water little by little until you get a soft, non-sticky dough.
- Shape small flat cakes about 1 cm thick.
- Cook them on a stone or in a hot pan without fat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden.
- Crumble the goat cheese on top and drizzle with a final splash of olive oil before serving.
How it was made : A distinction was made between uncooked maza (raw barley paste simply kneaded, eaten as is) and baked maza in the form of flatbreads. Barley grew better than wheat in dry Attica, making it the people's grain; wheat bread (artos) remained a semi-luxury.
The contemporary twist : Serve the warm maza as a spreadable base: fresh cheese, honey, and thyme on one side for a sweet-salty bite worthy of a symposion.
Sources : Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, 1996 · Aristophanes, comedies (mentions of maza and barley)
Sophocles · Charactorium
