Spartan BLACK BROTH | Melas Zomos

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If you've ever wanted to be a Spartan warrior, then making a bowl of Melas Zomos is just a part of the process. Today, I cover each step in making both Melas Zomos and in making a Spartan warrior.

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MELAS ZOMOS
INGREDIENTS
- 2lb (1kg) Pig Leg (or other pork product)
- 2 Cups (1/2 liter) Pig Blood
- 1 Cup (235ml) White Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 4 Cups (1 Litre) Water
- 3 Bay Leaf
- 1 Large Chopped Onion

METHOD
1. Set a large stock pot over medium heat, then add the olive oil and onions and cook until tender and lightly brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the chopped pork to the pot book for another 10 minutes.
3. Pour in the vinegar and 3-4 cups of water (4 if you have fresh pig's blood, 3 if you have coagulated blood), the salt and the bay leaves. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and let the soup simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to and hour or until the pork is cooked through.
4. Add the pork blood* and simmer for 15 minutes more, then serve.
*If you are using coagulated pork blood, mix it with the final cup of water in a blender and blend until most of it is liquid. Strain out any large chunks and add the liquid to the soup.

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PHOTO CREDITS

#tastinghistory #blackbroth #spartan #melaszomos #300

[mmurray]

There was a Greek joke that the reason that Spartans were so willing to fight to the death is that they wouldn't have to go back and eat this dish again.

[vsGoliath]

"They came to Greece to rob us of our poverty."

Say what you will about Spartans, but they absolutely mastered the art of dry humor.

[drpibisback]

"But modern archeology disputes this, because all of the bodies found there were adults!"

I've never felt less reassured by anything.

[goodknightpangestu]

Melas zomos is the perfect dish to feed a calm and reasonable person :)

[survivor]

Leonidas: "Spartans! Tonight we dine in HELL!"
Spartans: "Oh thank God"

[RK-ejto]

“I don’t think I’m neglecting my child enough, so I think I’ll get a Spartan nurse to help me neglect it properly”

[KrasMazovHatesYourGuts]

It's important to remember that it's still not known on what occasion the Spartan's ate this soup. They almost certainly didn't eat it while on the march or on the battlefield, as their rations largely involved grains for porridge, with cheese and wine (as well as anything they could get out in the field). More than likely, outside of the meals in the Syssitia, it's likely that it was made during either sacrifices or big state festivals. Keep in mind: unlike Athens or Crete, the Spartans were land-locked which meant that they relied more on livestock and game for meat than other city-states of that period. Also important to remember: Spartans held the art of cooking in high esteem, so the epaiklon was also meant to show one's cooking skills as well as their skill in the hunt.

[Heimdall]

I love one line I heard in my War in the Ancient World class: A Spartan fled the field of battle and returned home. Upon reaching his mother's home, the woman walked out and (upon seeing him) lifted her skirt and said "Do you want to climb back inside too?"

[magnusengeseth]

The Spartan story of the boy getting disemboweled by a fox wasn't some morality tale abut how you shouldn't steal btw. Instead, it was an inspirational tale of how tough and proper the boy was when he would rather die a painful death than getting caught stealing.

[nof]

“It doesn’t look good, but it’s not terrible.”
Fun fact! For most of human civilization, including Ancient Greece, presentation of food was considered much, much more important than taste, so maybe that WAS what they were complaining about.

[erniemauricio]

Granny Goodness pro-tip: After you add the pork, add the vinegar, salt and bay leaves. Don't stir... yet. let the vinegar boil, otherwise it won't "cook" well (the vinegar) and leave a slightly bitter taste. Once it boils you can add the water and stir.

Some variants of this dish utilise pork intestines (well cleaned of course) and pork liver. The insight for this is in the past, it was common practice to be frugal with meat, that as little of the animal as possible should go to waste. Sometimes the "waste" products denoted hierarchy or caste standings as in the case of Umbel pie, however other times culture and tastebuds win over social norms as noted with Chitlins and other African American delicacies and Haggis.

[abmong]

I’m actually surprised cooking with blood has become such an oddity in the West. Most cuisines have dishes that use blood. Europe has multiple traditional blood sausages, soups and stews.

[youreffigy]

Plot twist : he’s really an immortal spartan who retells history while eating all the meals he’s had thru the millennia

[theo]

So this is why Kratos was always so angry.

[jacplac]

Polish guy here. Our blood soup is called "czernina" (which loosely translates to black soup).
While made out of duck (or sometime geese) blood instead of pig blood, it does actually taste quite good.

[LeagueOfGaming]

An update for anyone who is thinking of trying this! After having the first batch made following this recipe with no deviation, I had a few things I liked and a few I disliked! Biggest dislike is the blood going grainy once cooked, the thought of eating blood doesn’t bother me, however the texture of curdled things does! I played around when making another batch and changed a few things to make it what I think is a little more palatable since we are spoiled with good tasting, non boring foods. For the meat I used a pork loin since it’s leaner- which in part was an issue I had since I don’t love chewing fat or greasy broths. I believe this also helped lessen the graininess of the broth. I used more onion, more salt, celery salt, pepper, garlic clove, garlic powder, onion powder, half the amount of white vinegar with the other half being balsamic vinegar, some wine to cook with the pork as well as to finish off at the end, more water as I felt necessary and I think that’s about it! I’m not a chef, and maybe it’s just watered down lipstick on a pig, but the clarity of the broth is way better, the meat itself isn’t as bland and porky, the vinegar isn’t quite as overwhelming and there is a verrrry distinct Umami flavor I didn’t notice with the original! If nothing else hopefully the idea is interesting or maybe someone who is actually good at cooking could make an adaptation and I’ll try it!

[rin-joh]

"They came to rob us of our poverty" is such a great line.

[rikmcdik]

"Spartan nurses were so prized for their skill at neglect and their complete lack of empathy." sounds like some nurses I used to work with..

[EpicLulz]

I just imagined Kratos eating Melo Zomos and Atreus spitting it out while getting Krato's death stare for spilling a 10/10 Gordon Ramsey's level dish.

[r.m]

As a history student I just discovered this channel and I'm absolutely floored because I've always had an interest in food of the past.