Asia Food

Food is the sustence we need to survive, is a cornerstone of economies around the world even to this day and is often invoked to describe a country. In regards to ethnicity, food has been utilised as a marker of the society and the development of the society. Since, Herodotus, ancient authors have commented on the lifestyles through the medium of food. Focusing on the different Asiatic countries that made up Asia to the Greeks and Romans, we can see common overlap and similarities in the description of the consumption of food.

Countries listed in Asia

 * Persians.
 * Babylonians.
 * Jews and Judeans.
 * Arabia.

Persians
The first example for the Persians we get is in Herodotus about the food consumption and production. Herodotus notes the luxury, the expense and the status diferentiations with the Persian society that is evident around food.

Persians can do whatever they want with the meat of a sacrifice. They make sure to place it on a bed of the softest grasses, preferably clover. As the birthday was the most important part of it and demonstration of status. The wealther serve ox, camel and donkey. The poorer serve goat or sheep. They have many dessert courses. They are devoted to wine [Herodotus, Histories 1.133 = RECW 10.4 pg.217]

Persians were synompous in ancient literature with wealth and luxury. This provided ample ammunition for playwright such as Aristophanes to poke fun at the Persians' expense. This 'otherizing' would have helped Athenians have another reason as to why the Greek won the Persian Wars.

Persian ambassars discuss with Dicaiopolis, what are the customs of the royal Persian court. They drink sweet wine from crystal or gold goblets and they are fed an entire ox in a baking pot. [Aristophanes, Acharnians 61-125 = RECW 10.7 pp.226-228]

In the Histories, Herodotus is famous for making comparisions between other societies and the Greeks, but generations and the attitudes of the society changing over time.

Where Cyrus was raised as a child, there is an emphasis on frugality. The boys in training eat home grain and bread, bitter-cress and bring with them a cup for drinking water from the river. During the reunion of the Medes Royal Family, Astyages sets out dishes of every king, of every sauce and meat. Cyrus rejects it for bread and meat alone that will satsify his hunger instead of desiring tastes. [Xenophon Cyropaedia 1.2.2-8, 1.3.2, 4-5 = RECW 10.9 pp.229-231]

Babylonians
Like the Persians, the Babylonians were depicted as a luxurious society that was easy to beat, technologically advanced and capable of many wonders. Herodotus is one of our main sources for Babylon and Babylonian traditions.

There are three tribes in Babylon that eat nothing but fish. They dry it, throw it into the mortar and grind it up before they either kneed it into cakes or bake it into a bread. [Herodotus, Histories 1.200 = RECW 10.6 pg.226]