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–+ servings

Easy Kykeon Recipe

A traditional ancient Greek beverage, Kykeon blends hearty barley porridge with red wine, honey, and aged goat cheese for a savory, drinkable dish rich in rustic flavor.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Beverage, Drinks, Light Meal, Side Dish
Cuisine Ancient Greek
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan
  • Dry skillet or pan
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Grater (for cheese)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups hulled barley
  • Dry red wine to taste, for mixing
  • Honey about 1–2 tablespoons or to taste
  • Aged hard goat cheese for grating on top

Instructions
 

  • Toast the hulled barley in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until it becomes aromatic, about 7–10 minutes.
  • Transfer the toasted barley to a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind.
  • Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the ground barley and cook until soft and porridge-like, about 1 to 1.5 hours. Drain excess water.
  • Spoon the barley porridge into cups or bowls. Add red wine and stir until it becomes drinkable in consistency.
  • Mix in honey to taste and stir until smooth.
  • Grate aged goat cheese over the top and serve warm.
Keyword ancient greek drink recipe, ancient greek side dish, barley and wine recipe, drinkable barley wine mix, greek barley honey wine, kykeon historical recipe, kykeon with goat cheese, mediterranean wine porridge, traditional barley porridge
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