Opson
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Opson
''Opson'' ( el, ὄψον) is an important category in Ancient Greek foodways. First and foremost ''opson'' refers to a major division of ancient Greek food: the 'relish' that complements the ''sitos'' (σίτος) the staple part of the meal, i.e. wheat or barley. ''Opson'' is therefore equivalent to Banchan in Korean cuisine and Okazu in Japanese cuisine. Because it was considered the more pleasurable part of any meal, ''opson'' was the subject of some anxiety among ancient Greek moralists, who coined the term '' opsophagia'' to describe the vice of those who took too much ''opson'' with their ''sitos''. Although any kind of complement to the staple, even salt, could be categorized as ''opson'', the term was also commonly used to refer to the most esteemed kind of relish: fish. Hence a diminutive of ''opson'', ''opsarion'' (ὀψάριον), provides the modern Greek word for fish: ''psari'' (ψάρι), and the term '' opsophagos'', literally opson''-eater', is almost alwa ...
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Ancient Greek Cuisine
Ancient Greek cuisine was characterized by its frugality for most, reflecting agricultural hardship, but a great diversity of ingredients was known, and wealthy Greeks were known to celebrate with elaborate meals and feasts. The cuisine was founded on the "Mediterranean triad" of cereals, olives, and grapes, which had many uses and great commercial value, but other ingredients were as important, if not more so, to the average diet: most notably legumes. Research suggests that the agricultural system of Ancient Greece could not have succeeded without the cultivation of legumes. Modern knowledge of ancient Greek cuisine and eating habits is derived from textual, archeological, and artistic evidence. Meals At home The Greeks had three to four meals a day. Breakfast Breakfast ( ''akratismós'' and ἀκράτισμα ''akratisma'', ''acratisma'') consisted of barley bread dipped in wine ( ''ákratos''), sometimes complemented by figs or olives. They also ate a sort of pancak ...
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Meal
A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. Although they can be eaten anywhere, meals typically take place in homes, restaurants, and cafeterias. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day. Special meals are usually held in conjunction with such occasions as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and holidays. A meal is different from a snack in that meals are generally larger, more varied, and more filling than snacks. The type of food that is served or consumed at any given time depends on regional customs. Three main meals are often eaten in the morning, early afternoon, and evening in most modern civilizations. Further, the names of meals are often interchangeable by custom as well. Some serve dinner as the main meal at midday, with supper as the late afternoon/early eve ...
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Wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BCE. Botanically, the wheat kernel is a type of fruit called a caryopsis. Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop (, 2014). World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. In 2020, world production of wheat was , making it the second most-produced cereal after maize. Since 1960, world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to grow further through the middle of the 21st century. Global demand for wheat is increasing due to the unique viscoelastic and adhesive properties of gluten proteins, which facilitate the production of processed foods, whose consumption is inc ...
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Barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley production is used as animal fodder, while 30% as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various foods. It is used in soups and stews, and in barley bread of various cultures. Barley grains are commonly made into malt in a traditional and ancient method of preparation. In 2017, barley was ranked fourth among grains in quantity produced () behind maize, rice and wheat. Etymology The Old English word for barley was ', which traces back to Proto-Indo-European and is cognate to the Latin word ' "flour" (''see corresponding entries''). The direct ancestor of modern English ''barley'' in Old English was the derived adjective ''bærlic'', meaning "of barley". The first citation of t ...
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Banchan
''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish or all of them combined. The basic table setting for a meal called ''bansang'' (반상) usually consists of ''bap'' (밥, cooked rice), ''guk'' or ''tang'' (soup), ''gochujang'' or ''ganjang'', ''jjigae'', and ''kimchi''. According to the number of ''banchan'' added, the table setting is called ''3 cheop'' (삼첩), ''5 cheop'' (오첩), ''7 cheop'' (칠첩), ''9 cheop'' (구첩), ''12 cheop'' (십이첩) ''bansang'', with the ''12 cheop'' used in Korean royal cuisine. ''Banchan'' are set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as ''galbi'' or ''bulgogi'', and a shared pot of ''jjigae''. Bowls of cooked rice and ''guk'' (soup) are set individually. ''Banchan'' are served in sma ...
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Korean Cuisine
Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends. Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, vegetables, seafood and (at least in South Korea) meats. Dairy is largely absent from the traditional Korean diet. Traditional Korean meals are named for the number of side dishes (반찬; 飯饌; ''banchan'') that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Kimchi is served at nearly every meal. Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, ''doenjang'' (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, ''gochugaru'' (pepper flakes), '' gochujang'' (fermented red chili paste) and napa cabbage. Ingredients and dishes vary by province. Many regional dishes have become national, and dishes that were once regional have proliferated in different variations ...
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Okazu
''Okazu'' ( or ; ; ) is a Japanese word meaning a side dish to accompany rice; subsidiary articles of diet.''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', They are cooked and seasoned in such a way as to match well when eaten with rice, and are typically made from fish, meat, vegetable, or tofu. Nearly any food eaten with rice can be considered okazu, though it is distinct from furikake, which is meant specifically to add flavor to the rice itself rather than to be eaten alongside rice. In modern Japanese cuisine, ''okazu'' can accompany noodles in place of rice. See also * Banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish or ... * List of Japanese dishes#Common Japanese main and side dishes (okazu, おかず) References Japanese cuisine {{Japan-cuisine-stub ...
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Japanese Cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter, as '. Apart from rice, a staple includes noodles, such as soba and udon. Japan also has many simmered dishes, such as fish products in broth called , or beef in and . Historically influenced by Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine has also opened up to influence from Western cuisines in the modern era. Dishes inspired by foreign food—in particular Chinese food—like ramen and , as well as foods like spaghetti, curry and hamburgers, have been adapted to Japanes ...
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Opsophagos
''Opsophagos'' was a type of ancient Greek person who exhibited a seemingly uncontrollable desire for ''opson ''Opson'' ( el, ὄψον) is an important category in Ancient Greek foodways. First and foremost ''opson'' refers to a major division of ancient Greek food: the 'relish' that complements the ''sitos'' (σίτος) the staple part of the meal, i ...'' or relishes. The vice of the ''opsophagos'' was ''opsophagia'', for which the closest English equivalent is ''gourmandise''. However, because fish/seafood was considered by far the most desirable ''opson'', an ''opsophagos'' in ancient Greek literature is almost always a man obsessed with fish or seafood. Tales of infamous ''opsophagoi'' (plural form) focussed on men who took their gourmandise to extreme levels, training their bodies in various ways to be able to consume massive quantities of fish immediately after they had been prepared, ensuring that they would have the fish to themselves, since they would be too hot fo ...
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Staple Food
A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and generally forming a significant proportion of the intake of other nutrients as well. A staple food of a specific society may be eaten as often as every day or every meal, and most people live on a diet based on just a small number of food staples. Specific staples vary from place to place, but typically are inexpensive or readily available foods that supply one or more of the macronutrients and micronutrients needed for survival and health: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. Typical examples include tubers and roots, grains, legumes, and seeds. Among them, cereals, legumes, tubers, and roots account for about 90% of the world's food calories intake. Early agricultural civilizations valued the foods that they establis ...
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Salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater. The open ocean has about of solids per liter of sea water, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is essential for life in general, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous food seasonings, and is known to uniformly improve the taste perception of food, including otherwise unpalatable food. Salting, brining, and pickling are also ancient and important methods of food preservation. Some of the earliest evidence of salt processing dates to around 6,000 BC, when people living in the area of present-day Romania boiled spring water to extract salts; a salt-works in China dates to approximately the same period. Salt was also prized by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, ...
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Medieval Greek
Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. From the 7th century onwards, Greek was the only language of administration and government in the Byzantine Empire. This stage of language is thus described as Byzantine Greek. The study of the Medieval Greek language and literature is a branch of Byzantine studies, the study of the history and culture of the Byzantine Empire. The beginning of Medieval Greek is occasionally dated back to as early as the 4th century, either to 330 AD, when the political centre of the Roman Empire was moved to Constantinople, or to 395 AD, the division of the empire. However, this approach is rather arbitrary as it is more an assumption of political, as opposed to cultural and linguistic, developments. Indeed, by this time ...
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