Diets of Ancient Greeks and Olympic Athletes

The oldest known Greek cook book "Art of Cookery" by Mithaecus from the fifth century B.C. provides insight into the diets of Ancient Greeks. The writings of the famous ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates also provides information on dietary advice provided to Olympic Athletes and the general public.

The Greek diet of the 20th century does not really compare with the diets of ancient Greeks because they did not have tomatoes, corn, potatoes, vanilla or chocolate. However, they still managed to create tasty dishes with herbs, spices and wine and foods were cooked quickly because they believed this preserved flavour and health benefits. It is amazing that many foods served in ancient Greece and Rome are still available today such as pesto, custard, pasta, pizza, baklava and pancakes. Also, certain cooking techniques originated in antiquity such as cross-cutting ham to bake it in a honey glaze, adding truffles to dishes and baking in a water bath.

What dietary advice was provided to Olympic athletes and to the general public by ancient Greek doctors?

Atheletes: What did the original Olympians feast on? Apparantly they were fed well and carefully. They were advised to avoid sugar because it zapped energy and bread was banned during training. In 480BC the winner of the Olympics said he ate a meat-only diet for 10 months prior to the games. Figs were recommended for muscle building and stamina - figs were allegedly a staple fruit of Hercules. If an athlete had sore muscles he was advised to "Get drunk on wine once or twice".

Weight loss: For weight loss, Hippocrates recommended more meat because this reduced food cravings.

Mentally alert: Vegetarianism and the 'raw foods movement' also started with the Greeks. The famous ancient Greek mathematician was a vegetarian and Pliny the Elder said that people were mentally and physically sharper without meat and with raw food.

Mood: the ancient Greeks believed that food could change personality. Hot-tempered or stressed people were advised to eat less meat; emotional people were advised to eat cool salads with oil and vinegar to balance out the conflicting moods.

Ancient Greek recipe from the 5th century BC, "Art of Cookery" by Mithaecus - see our recipe of the moth below.


Source for this article: Neos Kosmos Newspaper English Edition, 23/8/2004, page 8

Last Updated: August 2004