”Students from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) reconstruct the prehistoric table using charred seeds uncovered during excavations.
Fish, grains like wheat and barley, as well as millet — domesticated in China as early as the 7th millennium BC — lentils, peas, grass peas, bitter vetch, figs, wild pears, grapes, acorns, cornelian cherries, wine and… beer. And for dessert, they enjoyed sweet syrups made from grapes or other fruits.”
”Their research took place in Kosmati, Grevena, with invaluable help from Sofia Papageorgiou, in whose memory the students dedicated their work. Titled “Deciphering ancient ‘recipes’ from charred cereal fragments: An integrated methodological approach using experimental, ethnographic and archaeological evidence,” it was published in the prestigious Journal of Archaeological Science.
The late Sofia Papageorgiou was not only the grandmother of Ioanna Mimi, one of the student researchers, but also a woman of the old school — someone who learned and generously passed down traditional recipes, many unknown to the wider public. She used to make petimezi (grape molasses) from wild pears, much like the prehistoric inhabitants of the region may have done.”
Enjoy listening — and bon appétit!