Whenever we refer to the ancient Greek civilisation, the material relics of our ancestors immediately spring to mind; the temples, the monuments and the sculptures. We think of the philosophers and their scriptures; the ancient theatre, the comedies and the tragedies; the exceptional astronomers and mathematicians; the idea of democracy. However, the above don't encapsulate the whole meaning of civilisation. Civilisation is also the way of life, the mentality of a nation, the way we talk, even the way we eat.

Besides, the ancient Greeks had a proverb "Nouc Yyihc Ev looucm Yyiei", or "Healthy Mind in Healthy Body". Culture exists in a healthy body, built by exercise and good nutrition.

This book was created based on this admission. It is an attempt to offer a glimpse through the keyhole of the ancient Greeks' everyday life.

Many of today's foods were completely alien to the ancient Greeks, the potato for example. Also, unknown, not only in Greece but in the whole of the Mediterranean, were rice, sugar, corn, coffee, tomatoes and other vegetables, oranges and lemons, cocoa and various spices, pasta and many more. What's more, some of the original ingredients used cannot be found today or are extremely difficult to get your hands on, so they've been replaced by contemporary alternatives. The recipes in this book were written with the present-day reality in mind.