Zeus at the table

In ancient Greece, the meal revolved around sacrifice (thysía) and dinner (deîpnon). During a sacrifice to a god, the thigh bones wrapped in fat were burned on the altar — the divine portion, whose fragrant smoke (knísê) rose to Olympus — while mortals shared the meat in a collective banquet. The ordinary meal was based on sîtos (the staple, barley or wheat) accompanied by ópson (what you eat with it: olives, cheese, fish), washed down with wine mixed with water and always preceded by a libation to the gods.

Two signatures echo each other: thyme honey from Hymettus, the sugar king of Greek offerings and ritual cakes, and knísê — the fatty aroma of thighs burned on the altar, the only 'flavor' the gods tasted. Zeus, they say, delighted in the savor more than in the flesh.