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Kykeon (as described in the Iliad)
Ingredients
- Whole barley
- Red wine
- Aged goat cheese
Method
Prepare the barley as in the previous recipe.
Mix two parts of barley with three of wine, grating on top a bit of aged goat cheese. Mix all the ingredients well and drink.
The beverage of the Homeric heroes
The kykeon we find in the Iliad is completely different from the ritual beverage of the Homeric Hymns. The function of this beverage is similar to the one described in the Pseudo-Aristotelic Problems: a mixture of alphita and wine helps people to sober up. In this case, the Homeric heroes drink this kykeon before making decisions about the war. This episode is narrated in the 11th book. See link below for the complete text.
In this episode, a woman called Hekamede mixes a kykeon for the heroes there gathered. She prepares the table with a basket with onions (traditionally used to accompany wine), honey, and alphita; then, a beautiful cup decorated with gold bosses, with four handles. In this cup, the woman pours Pramnian wine and grates goat cheese, then mixes them with alphita. The heroes then quench their thirst with this kykeon and begin to speak.
The Iliad of Homer
The Iliad of Homer: translated by Alexander Pope (wikimedia.org)
