Answer by Claire Bubb
If you asked this same question about Plutarch, I could give a much more comprehensive answer! The evidence for diet in the fifth century Greek world is not as detailed as for other periods of Greco-Roman antiquity, but we can still make some generalizations. First of all, the rhythm of food was a bit different from today. The medical sources indicate that the main meal of the day was a dinner in the evening—in fact, for some people, this was the only meal of any significance (intermittent fasting goes way back!). Other people routinely ate an additional light lunch closer to mid-day. The Hippocratic text Ancient Medicine (dated to the final decades of the fifth century BCE) indicates that either one meal a day or two was the norm (10).
Grains formed the basis of most meals. Because barley grows better than wheat in most parts of Greece, barley was a staple crop, even though it is not well-suited to making bread. Wheat and other grains were cultivated, too, and wheat in particular was also increasingly imported to feed cities, especially those, like Athens, too large to rely on their own hinterlands. But in Herodotus’ time, the most frequent main dish in most parts of Greece would have been flat, unleavened barley cakes (maza), followed by wheaten breads, lentil- or bean-based stews, and grain-based porridges or gruels. This simple base could then be enlivened in various ways. You might just have it with olive oil or some pot herbs or cheese. For a heartier meal, the grain base was served with a cooked dish (opson), which could consist of meat, fish, or vegetables. People in Herodotus’ time ate a wide range of meat and poultry, though usually not as daily staples; most fresh meats would have been consumed in the context of ritual sacrifice. Finally, if Herodotus had a sweet-tooth, he could have indulged in various honey-sweetened cakes, as well as fresh and dried fruits and nuts. Everything would have been washed down with wine, diluted to one’s taste. The details within this basic structure would, of course, have varied according to the wealth, tastes, and location (including urban vs rural) of the consumer.
Early Greek medical writers offer us the most detailed insight into food rhythms. If Herodotus was keen on following a medically approved diet, he may have patterned his eating after rules of thumb like those sketched out in the Hippocratic Regimen in Health 1, dated to the last decades of the fifth century. This text (like other similar ones) calls for an extremely seasonal approach to food. In the cold and wet winter, you would aim to mostly eat bread, roast all of your cooked dishes, and consume as few vegetables as possible in order to sustain the warmth and dryness of your bodily mixture. In the hot, dry summer, in contrast, you would switch to a preponderance of barley cakes, stewed dishes, and lots of vegetables and liquids to keep yourself as moist and cool as possible. Even if he were not eating in tune to medical advice, Herodotus’ diet would certainly have varied seasonally because of the limited natural growing seasons of different foods. This variability, combined with the volatile reliance of grain yields on unpredictable weather, meant that Herodotus would have encountered a variety of foods from month to month and year to year. The Hippocratic text Regimen (dated to the late fifth or early fourth century) lists the dietetic properties of five varieties of grain, sixteen types of pulses (beans, etc.) and seeds, and thirty-two cultivated vegetables and herbs, some of which would have been second-best options if better crops failed (2.40–45, 54), as well as the meat of twelve different animals (some of which will be upsetting to the modern reader!), seven types of bird, and twenty-eight specific varieties of seafood (2.46–8). However, the biggest variety in Herodotus’ diet would probably have resulted from his travels.
Further Reading:
See Jeremy McInerney’s answer about Herodotus’ favorite food for the significant variability of local food practices both within and beyond the Greek-speaking world. For more about food and diet in Herodotus’ time, Peter Garnsey’s Food and Society in Classical Antiquity and Andrew Dalby’s Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece are great places to start.
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