The World That Was - Minoan "Palikaria" (Bean Salad)

Hello and Welcome to The World That Was!

Today, I'm going to be making a simple pulse and leaf salad present in ancient Cretan - and possibly wider Hellenic - culture! It' still eaten today, in a modern dish called "palikaria" which is eaten in the Eastern Mediterranean around feast days. Although the modern version of this dish is associated with Christian religious festivals, its likely that it arose from pre-Christian practices!

In any case, let's now take a look at the world that was! Follow along with my YouTube video, above! If you like my recipes, consider checking out my Patreon!

Ingredients

1/2 cup small broad beans

1/2 cup chickpeas

1/2 cup green lentils

1 tbsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

parsley

arugula

sesame seeds

Method

1 - Soak Pulses

To begin with, we need to prepare our pulses. If you're using dried pulses, soak these overnight in some water. If you're using them canned, simply drain them.

Next, we need to wash these in salted water. Do this by placing into a pot, a half a cup of chickpeas, a half a cup of green lentils, and half a cup of broad beans (or butter beans, if you can't get your hands on them) Pour in some water until the pulses are just submerged. Heat this slightly over a medium heat for a few minutes.

2 - Make Dressing

While your pulses are soaking together, go make your salad dressing. Although probably a more modern development, it's not unlikely that a simple olive oil and wine vinegar dressing was made and used in antiquity.

In any case, quickly whisk together equal amounts of olive oil and red wine vinegar until it emulsifies into a smooth seasoning. Make sure to taste this and adjust to your preference.

3 - Toss Salad

Now, we need to drain our pulses, again. The ritual washing of things in salted water (such as sea water) was a common motif in contemporary Hellenic religious practices - and it's likely that some food types were prepared in a similar manner (particularly dishes being prepared for a ritual)

Place a bed of your rocket (or arugula) leaves onto a plate, and spoon on a generous portion of your pulses. Drizzle with a bit of your dressing, and sprinkle a handful of sesame seeds onto the plate.

Serve up and dig in!

The finished dish is a simple yet filling meal, packed full of protein! The pulses used would have been available in antiquity, and archaeological records show that lentils, chickpeas, and broad beans were all cultivated in the Eastern Mediterranean since the neolithic period - albeit in differing amounts, depending on the size of the settlement, and the quality of the soils.

This dish is a modern continuation of pre-Christian "panspermia" customs, which were celebrations of harvests done in many polytheistic cultures throughout history (although by different names, obviously). These dishes would likely have been small, simple offerings to deities - much like my elaphoi cookies from a few months ago. While this is one version of an offering, influenced by modern Cretean culinary styles and presentation, it has its roots in ancient Greek and Minoan civilisations.