Το δέντρο φοίνικας σε τοιχογραφία (μέσα 11ου αι.) της Εισόδου του Ιησού στα Ιεροσόλημα από τον ναό του Αγίου Νικολάου Στέγης στην Κακοπετριά.
Fruit and nuts.
Name - Origin
Byzantines used to eat fruit and nuts very often as desserts (Koukoules 1952, p.102).
Functional and symbolic role
Written sources, such as the poems of Ptochoprodromos, inform us about the favourite fruit and nuts of the Byzantines: dates, almonds (from which they were extracting a special oil), chestnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, walnuts, raisins, pears (apidia, famous for their therapeutic properties), pomegranates (their juice was also used to garnish food), apricots, figs (fresh or dried), the various types of apples (sour apples, trilitromila, etc.), cherries and melons (Koukoules 1952, pp. 102-110).
Additional information and bibliography
F. Koukoules, 1952. Βυζαντινών Βίος και Πολιτισμός, Vol. E, Athens.
Athanasios Vionis
Foods
Appídin - pear
Gennadios writes about Cypriot pears at the beginning of the 20th century: "Cyprus, which in the times of Pliny was praised for its large pears, nowadays produces very few and mostly poor quality…