Honey-glazed prawns/shrimp

Temakhos is a grilled fish slice dish. The warm waters of the Mediterranean provide fertile fishing grounds today, as they did in ancient Greece. Lining a large part of ancient Greece were coastlines. Fish and other seafood buffered nutrients in the ancient Grecian diet providing important minerals and protein.

Seafood primarily consisted of sardines, mullet, mackerel, squid, and sea insects such as prawns, clams, and mussels. Fishing nets were used to catch most fish. Tuna was caught by dropping large wooden chunks that had spears sticking out of them on the shoals of tuna fish. Sea urchins were also a delicacy; they were cooked caked in mud and then baked, which removes their spiky shell.

Fish was prepared both dried and fresh. Dried and salted fish, called tarikhos, was sold all over the length and breadth of the Greek empire.

Sea trade became more and more prevalent as ancient Greece grew in wealth and power. Large ships were built for long-distance travel over the high seas. Trade funded and boosted travel over the seas as city-states exchanged natively grown goods among themselves and also with newly acquired colonies in the far east and north.

Piraeus was the largest port used by tradesmen in ancient Greece. Over 100,000 tonnes of grain arrived and were sold and bought over this port every year.

The Greek landscape is hilly and rocky and growing grains on a large scale was not feasible. Therefore, a bulk of the requirement for grains among the populace was fulfilled by trade. Bread, flour cakes, and soups required flour from these grains and were a staple.

Spices, ceramic pottery, olives, and goods from the far east arrived over the shores of Athens bought to it at Piraeus port every year in more than 500 ships.

Depictions of this profitable trade over the seas can be seen in pottery from the time. Ships that were powered by sails and oars were used. Many large ships may have used slaves were used to drive these ships.