Meat

Meat is substantially less common in poems from the fifth century BC onwards than it is in the earliest poetry, but this could be due to genre rather than actual evidence of changes in farming and eating traditions. Fresh meat was most typically eaten at sacrifices, but the sausage was considerably more popular and was devoured by people from all socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition to eating animal meat, the ancient Greeks frequently consumed inner organs, many of which were considered delicacies, such as paunches and tripe.

Spartans primarily consumed melas zōmos (μέλας ζωμός), which translates as "black soup," a soup made from pigs' legs and blood. It contained pork, salt, vinegar, and blood. The dish was served with maza, figs, and cheese, and was occasionally accompanied by game and fish. Aelian, a 2nd-3rd century author, reports that Spartan cooks were forbidden from cooking anything other than meat.

Fish and meat consumption varied according to household affluence and geography; in the country, hunting (mainly trapping) allowed for the consumption of birds and hares. Peasants also had farmyards where they could keep hens and geese. Landowners with a little more money may farm goats, pigs, or sheep. Except for pork, meat was pricey in the metropolis. A piglet cost three drachmas in Aristophanes' day, which was three days' pay for a public servant. Sausages were popular among both the poor and the wealthy. Archaeological excavations at Kavousi Kastro, Lerna, and Kastanas have revealed that dogs, in addition to the more often consumed pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats, were occasionally devoured in Bronze Age Greece.