Eating Habits of the Ancient Greeks

U pravilnoj prehrani bitan je dovoljan unos bjelančevina, ugljikohidrata, masti, vitamina, minerala i tekućine potrebnih za normalno funkcioniranje ljudskog organizma. Prehrana starih Grka bila je jednostavna, a to se može uočiti na temelju podataka iz odabranih antičkih izvora (Homer, Alkej, Sapfa, Herodot, Hipokrat, Aristofan, Ksenofont, Aristotel, Teofrast, Strabon, Arhestrat, Dioskorid, Plutarh i Opijan). U radu se prikazuje koje su osnovne namirnice Grci koristili u svojoj prehrani (žitarice, voće i povrće, začini, med, riba, meso, mlijeko) te kako su ih dobivali, pripremali i čuvali, od čega su se sastojali njihovi glavni obroci (zajutrak, ručak, večera), koju su hranu posluživali u svečanim prigodama (pijanke/gozbe, vjenčanja i pogrebi) te koje se simboličko značenje pojedinim namirnicama u tim prigodama pripisivalo. Na kraju rada opisuje se kakva je bila prehrana kod vojnika te se predstavljaju načela zdrave prehrane poznatog grčkog liječnika Hipokrata, koji se može smatrati začetnikom nutricionizma, danas relativno mlade znanstvene discipline.Adequate intake of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fluids necessary for the normal functioning of the human body is essential in a proper diet. The diet of the ancient Greeks was simple, and this can be seen on the basis of data from selected ancient sources (Homer, Alcaeus, Sappho, Herodotus, Hippocrates, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Aristotle, Theophrastus, Strabo, Archestratus, Dioscorides, Plutarch and Oppian). In this paper focus is on basic food which Greeks used in their diet (cereals, fruits and vegetables, spices, honey, fish, meat, milk), how they received, prepared and stored food, what their main meals consisted of (breakfast, lunch, dinner), what kind of food was served on festive occasions (drunkenness/feasts, weddings and funerals) and what symbolic meaning was attributed to certain foods on those occasions. At the end of the paper, the diet of soldiers is described and the principles of healthy eating by the famous Greek physician Hippocrates, who can be considered the originator of nutrition, today a relatively young scientific discipline, are presented