The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 2 (of 3)Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Philosophy
The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Athenaeus, of Naucratis
Civilization, Greco-Roman; Dinners and dining -- Greece; Greece -- Social life and customs; Homosexuality -- Greece
Theophrastus also mentions the carrot; and Phænias, in the fifth book
of his treatise on Plants, speaks as follows:—"But as to the nature of
the seed, the plant which is called σὴψ and the seed of the carrot
are much alike." And in his first book he says—"The following plants
have seed in pods of umbellated form: the anise, fennel, the carrot,
the bur-parsley, hemlock, coriander, and aconite (which some call
mousekiller)." But, since Nicander has mentioned the arum, I must also
add that Phænias, in the book which I have just mentioned, writes
thus:—"The dracontium, which some call arum or aronia." But Diocles, in
the first book of his treatise on the Wholesomes, calls the carrot, not
σταφυλῖνος, but ἀσταφύλινος. There is also another kind which is called
καρωτὸν, which is a large and well-grown carrot, more juicy than the
σταφυλῖνος, and more heating,—more diuretic, very good for the stomach,
and very easily digested, as Diphilus assures us.
13. Then there is the κεφαλωτὸν, or leek, which the same Diphilus says is
also called πράσιον; and he says that it is superior to the kind
called the sliced-leek, and that it has some effect in attenuating the
blood, and is nutritious, and apt to cause flatulence. But Epænetus, in
his Cookery Book, says that the leeks are also called γηθυλλίδες; and I
find this name occurring in Eubulus, in his Pornoboscus, where he says—
I cannot now eat any other loaf,
For I've just had one at Gnathænius',
Whom I found boiling up γηθυλλίδες.
But some say that the γηθυλλὶς is the same as the peculiar kind of leek
called γήθυον, which Phrynichus mentions in his Saturn. And Didymus,
interpreting that play, says that the γήθυον resembles the leek called
the vine-leek, or ἀμπελόπρασον; and he says that they are also called
ἐπιθυλλίδες. And Epicharmus also mentions the gethyllides in his
Philoctetes, where he says—
Two heads of garlic, two gethyllides.
And Aristophanes, in his second Æolosicon, says—
Some roots of leeks (γηθύων), which taste almost like garlic.
And Polemo the geographer, in his book on Samothrace, says that
Latona had a longing for the gethyllis, writing as follows:—"Among
the Delphians, at the festival which they call the Theoxenia, there
is a rule that whoever brings the largest gethyllis to Latona shall
receive a portion of food from off her table; and I myself have seen
a gethyllis as big as a turnip or as the round rape. And men say that
Latona, when she was pregnant with Apollo, longed for the gethyllis; on
which account it is treated with this respect."
14. Next comes the gourd. But as gourds were served round to us in
the winter season, every one marvelled, thinking that they were fresh
gourds; and we recollected what the beautiful Aristophanes said in his
Seasons, praising the glorious Athens in these lines:—
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