Drink
The most widespread drink was water. Fetching water was a daily task for women. Though wells were common, spring water was preferred: it was recognized as nutritious because it caused plants and trees to grow, and also as a desirable beverage. Pindar called spring water "as agreeable as honey". The Greeks would describe water as robust, heavy or light, dry, acidic, pungent, wine-like, etc. One of the comic poet Antiphanes's characters claimed that he could recognize Attic water by taste alone. Athenaeus states that a number of philosophers had a reputation for drinking nothing but water, a habit combined with a vegetarian diet (cf. below). Milk, usually goats' milk, was not consumed. It was considered barbaric.
The usual drinking vessel was the skyphos, made out of wood, terra cotta, or metal. Critias also mentions the kothon, a Spartan goblet which had the military advantage of hiding the colour of the water from view and trapping mud in its edge. They also used vessel called a kylix (a shallow footed bowl), and for banquets the kantharos (a deep cup with handles) or the rhyton, a drinking horn often moulded into the form of a human or animal head.
Read more about this topic: Ancient Greek Cuisine
Famous quotes containing the word drink:
“Billboards, billboards, drink this, eat that, use all manner of things, everyone, the best, the cheapest, the purest and most satisfying of all their available counterparts. Red lights flicker on every horizon, airplanes beware; cars flash by, more lights. Workers repair the gas main. Signs, signs, lights, lights, streets, streets.”
—Neal Cassady (19261968)
“I drink eternally. For me it is an eternity of drinking, and a drinking up of eternity.”
—François Rabelais (14941553)
“Mr. Edward Carson, QC: Do you drink champagne yourself?
Mr. Oscar Wilde: Yes; iced champagne is a favourite drink of minestrongly against my doctors orders.
Mr. Edward Carson, QC: Never mind your doctors orders, sir!
Mr. Oscar Wilde: I never do.”
—Oscar Wilde (18541900)