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Ancient Greece - more than 1,000 plants recorded

By: Eleni Markou

Myths and legends concerning plants and their development are no accident but result from the Greeks' deep knowledge of their natural resources. The Greeks were mostly vegetarians with their daily diet consisting mainly of cereals, legumes, vegetables, wild greens, roots, fruit and fish. For the Greeks the term vegetable was reserved for all greens while the term herbs was reserved for spices. This distinction is currently employed today in various parts of Macedonia and Epeirous.

Our ancestors, as well as the ancient Romans, were able to distinguish over 1000 plant species and, therefore, had compiled scores of detailed descriptions concerning their particular qualities, as well as their kitchen and medicinal applications. Among the most prolific experts in botanical matters were Dioscurides, Theophrastus, Hippocrates, Antiphanes, Galinus and Pliny.

Theophrastus, who had set up a pilot farm in Athens, provides handy instructions for cultivating and growing fruit-bearing trees, e.g. fig trees, olive trees, almond trees and pot plants! Even Homer, whose monumental work does not make detailed gastronomic references, makes specific references to 36 plant and tree species in his Iliad and 44 in his Odyssey. Among those plants cited are the crocus, lentisk, leek, moss, wild carrot, prickly bush, mallow and poppy.

Equally significant are the gastronomic accounts bequeathed to us by Athenaeus (170-230 AD) in "Deipnosophists". In his work Athenaeus talks about the emollient qualities of the mallow, the sub-acid taste of the sorrel, the vegetable texture of the nettle, the aphrodisiac qualities of bulbs, while there are also references to asparagus, fennel, caper, oregano, sage, laurel, rosemary, fig tree, grapes and pomegranates.

Households in ancient Athens maintained supplies of salt, oregano, vinegar, thyme, sesame, raisins, caper, eggs, salted fish, cress, figs, olives, olive oil, etc. An extract from comic poet "Alexi" says, "Place ground oregano at the bottom of the dish and use molassses for colour".

The Greeks made considerable use of herbs as condiments for bread and stuffed pies ("Plakountes"). The most common herbs used in bread making were the spearmint, oregano, thyme, dill, and nutmeg. According to Athenaeus, "roasted pasta with honey and olive oil are served over laurel leaves".

Ancient Artemidorous, the desciple of Aristotle, described a piquant dish which consisted of tender meat, animal intestines and blood spiced with vinegar, roasted cheese, cumin, savoury, coriander, poppy seeds, honey, raisins and sour pomegranate seeds.

The Hellenistic and Roman cuisines had a lot in common with the ancient Greek cuisine and probably evolved into the modern Italian cuisine. Roman engraver Martialis left us with a list of meals that he prepared for his guests: for desert: mallows, lettuce and leeks garnished with mint and rocket the aphrodisiac.

Resourceful Apicius, renowned organiser of gastronomic symbosia, had his meat dishes dressed with herbal sauces. For example, for boiled tuna he used a sauce made from "...pepper, thyme, aromatic herbs, onion, dates, honey, vinegar, olive oil, mustard". His sauce for game, boiled or broiled: "...8 gr pepper, dried mint, 3 gr bog-bean", and for fried courgettes: "...pepper, cumin, oregano, onion, wine, and olive oil. Thicken the sauce in the pan with flour and then serve."

Scented Olive Oils used in Ceremonies at Knossos and Mycenae in antiquity ethereal oils and other aromatic substances were used daily in lay and religious activities spanning from the meticulous care of the body to treatment of ailments and devotional practices. On the basis of information deciphered in Linear B tablets found in Knossos and Pylos, etherial oils were extracted by perfume experts in Minoan Crete. The tablets testify that perfumery, aromatherapy, cosmetics and pharmacology are deeply rooted in history.

Again, in the Linear B tables from Pylos we learn that ancient perfume experts produced oils scented with sage and wild pomegranate seeds. The "House of the Sphinx" at Mycenae yielded seven tablets with inscriptions of herbs. There we find the names of fennel, mint, coriander, celery, lentisk, and cumin.

Through centuries of trial and error activities primitive man became aware of the medicinal qualities of plants and herbs. He identified herbs that could Booth a range of pains and cure diseases or prevent others. A lot of herbs/plants used for their medicinal qualities today, for example the sage, cedar tree, and the leaves of the olive tree, were known to the Egyptians and found inscribed in papyrus scrolls.

For centuries the medicinal applications of herbs/plants were mainly confined to the treatment of wounds, since anything pathological was attributed to acts of gods. This attitude and practice changed with Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the famous Greek physician and father of medicine from the isle of Kos. His works that survived through the centuries include references to 237 plant species classified on the basis of their medicinal qualities.

According to Hippocrates, saffron is used for wound cleansing, mallow for cataplasms, oregano to aid menstruation, pomegranate for ailments of the liver, sage for uterus infections and gastrointestinal diseases, Cretan dittany to aid labouring women and on wounds, quince to alleviate pains of the uterus, purslane as a laxative, and basil as an antiemetic.

If you want to visit Crete and find out more about the essential oils and herbs they used in Knossos you could stay in fabulous Chania Hotels or Elounda Hotels or a hotel of the other two prefectures, Heraklion or Rethymno.

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