The Term Kandaulos/Kandylos in the Lexicon of Photius and the Commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem of Eustathius of Thessalonica

• Published in: Byzantinische Zeitschrift 2011-08, Vol.104 (1), p.125-145
• Main Authors: Kokoszko, Maciej, Gibel-Buszewska, Katarzyna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0007-7704; 1864-449X; 1868-9027
• DOI: 10.1515/byzs.2011.007

The present article analyzes Photius' Lexicon and Eustathius of Thessalonica's Commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem in order to trace the history and reconstruct the recipe of a dish called kandaulos/kandylos. It was a Greek delicacy, which appears to have been developed in Lydia before the middle of the VI th c. B.C. It is known to have been named after king Candaules, who ruled the Lydian territory in the VII th c. B.C. The dish was (via the Ionians) borrowed by the Helens and established itself in Greece sometime in the V th c. B.C. It became popular in the Hellenistic period The testimony provided by Photius and Eustathius of Thessalonica contributes to our better knowledge of two varieties of kandaulos/kandylos. The first was savoury and consisted of cooked meat, stock, Phrygian cheese, breadcrumbs and dill (or fennel). The other included milk, animal fat, cheese and honey. The dish is reported to have been costly, prestigious and indicated the social status of those who would eat it. Though there is much evidence suggesting its popularity in antiquity, we lack any solid proof that kandaulos/kandylos was eaten in Byzantine times. On the other hand, Byzantine authors preserved the most detailed literary data on the delicacy.