Ancient Greek cuisine was characterized by its frugality for most, reflecting agricultural hardship, but a great diversity of ingredients was known, and wealthy Greeks were known to celebrate with elaborate meals and feasts.

The cuisine was founded on the "Mediterranean triad" of cereals, olives, and grapes, which had many uses and great commercial value, but other ingredients were as important, if not more so, to the average diet: most notably legumes. Research suggests that the agricultural system of ancient Greece could not have succeeded without the cultivation of legumes.

Modern knowledge of ancient Greek cuisine and eating habits is derived from textual, archeological, and artistic evidence.

In the Homeric epics of the Iliad and Odyssey, three meals are mentioned.

Ariston was the early meal, while dorpon was the late meal. Deipnon could be either, without reference to time.

In the later age Greeks had the below meals:

Acratisma was the early meal (similar to the ariston of the homeric age), ariston was the middle meal and deipnon was the evening meal (similar to the dorpon of the homeric age).

Prochoos (πρόχοος) or prochous (πρόχους) was a jug or ewer used for washing the hands before and after meals.