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We've come to the end of our time in Ancient Greece, and why not say farewell with a family dinner to reflect and celebrate this culture? Here are some thoughts:
The website Ancient World Alive tells us:
“You all have seen pictures of ancient people eating on beds, laid on one side. The reality though was slightly different. Usually during their normal meals, Greek ate seated on high chairs at high rectangular tables. They used couches and low tables only for the “symposia” (gatherings for enjoying drinking), where they ate and drank reclined on the couches. Different vessels were used, mainly terracotta. The table setting consisted of knives and spoons as they didn’t know of the fork as an eating utensil. The bread was often used for picking up food with, or for cleaning hands after eating instead of napkins.”
To make your own Greek feast at home, here are three options to consider:
1. If you like to cook, check out these authentic (we hope) Ancient Greek recipes:
- Ancient Bean Soup
- Ancient Greek Fish with Coriander
- Roasted Leeks and Apple
- Greek Peasant Salad
- Easy Oranges with Honey
- Ancient Baklava Recipe (Gastrin) – We wouldn’t consider it cheating if you bought pre-made phyllo dough instead of making your own…
- Loukoumades, The Ancient Olympic Doughnut
- 3 Easy Ancient Greek Recipes You Can Make Today – Includes Lentil Soup, Fried Pancakes with Honey and Sesame Seeds, and Nut Cake
2. Another option is to prepare an easy and laid-back Greek-style meal, by setting out things like olives, eggs, cheese, grapes, pita bread, a simple salad or vegetables (such as arugula, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers), and roasted meat or fish. (And wine of course, for those old enough!) Dessert might include figs or other dried fruit, cheese drizzled with honey, or baklava, either homemade or bought.
3. A final alternative – keep it super simple and order Greek food take-out!
For a fun Ancient Greece culmination family activity, it doesn’t matter if you cook the meal yourself, assemble some pre-made items, or order from your favorite Greek restaurant. Just ditch the forks and napkins, and make sure you serve some kind of bread for dipping (and cleaning hands…?), to give it a more authentic vibe. And even though we’ve learned that the Ancient Greeks usually ate at high tables, feel free to pull the cushions off the couch and recline on them in the living room with your feast spread out on the coffee table if that makes the experience more enjoyable – it’s all about making fond memories associated with learning and being together as a family!
Also, men and women in Ancient Greece apparently ate separately most of the time – you can choose to do this or not. It kind of ruins the togetherness part…
We hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family, and enjoy any meals together that you are fortunate to have!
Do you like to have family meals that tie in to our history studies? What are your suggestions? Or… did you try this? How did it go? Please leave a comment below!
