Circe's Potion
So no one is going to talk about how Circe's "potion" is not really a potion at all (like just a liquid) but that it was practically a type of broth? No? Then I guess that I have to do it so you can make it at home hahahaha and enchant all your guests or maybe make them fear you! Hahahhahahaha your choice!
And then she mixed cheese and barley and golden honey and stirred them with Pramnian wine.
So her potion is not really a pure drink but a broth! A salt-sweet broth given the ingredients. The name of the drink or rather the notion of it seems to be also appearing in the Iliad as a healing potion given to Machaon (and ironically is yet another time a female character to make it). The name seems to be Κυκεών / Kykeon which simply translates as "potion" from the verb κυκάω which means "to stir"
- The honey is mentioned as χλωρό that also means "greenish" of color or greenish gold. If you are like Circe may I suggest wild flower honey or eucalyptus honey or potentially herbal honey such as thyme or bush honey. Plants typically found in the wilderness and also known for their healing properties.
- Barley if raw might need some preparation to be soft enough to be consumed unless you do not mind some crunchiness XD otherwise it can be boiled or turned to dust beforehand I guess! If you have a mortar or a blender!
- For cheese I would suggest white cheese as it would be more common in antiquity. Goat cheese is preferable hahaha! Just probably not too salty!
- Both main ingredients (barley and wine) are associated with gods that have to do with life and death Demeter and Dionysus
- As a result this type of drinks were associated with Eleusinian Mysteries
- Which consequently I find very interesting given how Odysseus drinks this and then descends to the underworld! Odysseus is basically doing LITERALLY the Eleusinian mysteries!
- In fact the whole thing seems to be somehow related to the travel on the underworld. Odysseus meets Hermes who assists him through (Hermes who passes the dead in the underworld) he drinks a potion related to Eleusinian Mysteries he travels to the Underworld and he comes back!
- Pramnian wine was probably made of resin grapes (although the actual making process is mostly unknown) therefore it was very thick and heavy to drink without watering or preparing and ancient writers thought it was reserved for its healing properties
- Maybe this is why the Greeks drank her potion! Maybe they thought she wanted to heal them! Oh Circe you are good!
So basically Circe's potion is yet another example of the word φάρμακον which in ancient Greek meant both "medicine" and "poison" Hahahaha! And speaking on "poison" see this HILARIOUS artist make it! And the rather encouraging reaction when he tries it! XD
I love his videos by the way because he does very good research on ancient recipes and gives you also the information that I gave you very briefly in more detail and in a very fun way!
Honestly if anyone makes this reblog me with their experience! Hahahahaha! But really one probably must add more honey and perhaps boil it more or make the barley in fine powder if they do not want to end up with a barley breakfast (which now I think I wanna make for one morning! XD)
So there you go! Now you can be Circe! Try not to turn anyone into pigs with weird drugs guys! XD
