The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 1 (of 3)Athenaeus, of Naucratis
General
The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Civilization, Greco-Roman; Dinners and dining -- Greece; Greece -- Social life and customs; Homosexuality -- Greece
But Diphilus calls chestnuts also Sardinian acorns, saying that they are
very nutritious, and full of excellent juice; but not very easy of
digestion, because they remain a long time in the stomach; that,
however, when they are roasted they are less nutritious, but more
digestible; and that when boiled they are less apt to produce flatulence
than the others, and more nutritious.
It is easily peel'd, and the Eubœans
Call it a nut, but some people have call'd it an acorn,
says Nicander the Colophonian, in his Georgics. But Agelochus calls
chestnuts ἄμωτα, and says, "Where the Sinopean nuts are produced the
natives call the trees which produce them ἄμωτα."
44. With respect to Vetches.--Crobylus says--
They took a green vetch,
And toss'd it empty, as if playing cottabus.
These are the sweetmeats of the wretched monkey.
And Homer says--
Black beans spring up, or vetches.
Xenophanes the Colophonian says, in his Parodies--
These are what one should talk of near the fire,
In winter season, on soft couch reclined,
After a plenteous meal, drinking rich wine,
And eating vetches.[89:1] Then a man may ask,
"Who are you? How old are you, my friend?
How many years old were you when the Mede came?"
And Sappho says--
Golden vetches on the sea-shore grew.
But Theophrastus, in his book on Plants, calls some kinds of vetches
κρεῖοι. And Sophilus says--
This maiden's sire is far the greatest man,
A regular κρεῖος vetch.
And Phænias says, in his book about Plants,--"While they are green and
tender, the bean and vetch take the place of sweetmeats; but when they
are dry they are usually eaten boiled or roasted." Alexis says--
My husband is a poor old man, and I
Am an old woman, and I have a daughter
And a young son,
And this good girl besides--we're five in all--
And three of them are now at supper,
And we two who here remain share with them
A little maize; and when we have nothing
To eat, we utter a wail unsuited to the lyre.
And as we never have any meat for dinner,
Our countenance is become pale. These are the parts,
And this is the arrangement of our life:
Beans, lupins, cabbages, rape,
Pulse, morepulse, mastnuts, onions,
Grasshoppers, vetches, wild pears,
And that which was given by my mother
As an object of devout care, the fig,
The great invention of the Phrygian fig.
Pherecrates says--
You must at once take care and make the vetches tender.
And in another place he says--
He was choked eating roasted vetches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account