Greece has been a predominantly agricultural society through the 1970s. In the mid
1800s, the Greek State was limited to the southern part of its current lands and had
a population of approximately one million.17 About 90% of the active Greek popu-
lation was composed of peasants, including small-scale farmers, ranchers, and peas-
ant laborers. Greek farmers grew crops primarily for sustaining themselves and
their families, and secondly for earning some income. Crops and products that
the farmers were selling were mainly grapes, wine, honey, and beeswax, and, to a
smaller degree, cereal crops.
The core diet of the Greek peasants in the mid 19th century consisted of cereals,
dry legumes, vegetables, wine, and fruits and was supplemented with quantities of
meat, cheese, olive oil, and olives, salted fish and seafood — known under the
generic term almyra, meaning salty. Subsistence agriculture provided a great portion
of the food consumed — in particular, legumes, vegetables, cereals, wine, and, often,
some honey. Meat, dairy, and eggs came from animals raised by the household.9
According to official sources,9 a typical rural household kept for subsistence purposes
ten goats and maybe one or two cows that served plowing purposes. In most cases,
olive oil, preserved fish, cheese, and dry onions were purchased. According to official
statistics,9 the members of an average rural household consisting of five to seven
people consumed, year round, 25 kg of grain. During harvest time, however, the
farmers relied on purchased meat, dairy products, and, sometimes, cereals, to cover
their food needs.
By the 1930s, the Greek population had increased to approximately 6.4 million
and 61% of the active population were peasants.22 Besides the natural population
growth, the expansion of sovereign territory that occurred in the early 20th century,
and the influx of one million migrants from Asia Minor, contributed to the population
growth noted.17 The dietary patterns of the Greeks in the early 20th century did not
differ greatly from those that prevailed a century ago. The diet was based on cereals,
vegetables, legumes, wine, and fruits.23-25 In rural areas, grains, beans, wine, and
vegetables were produced by the household.23 Small quantities of cheese, salted fish
and meat supplemented the regimen of the poorer classes.26-27 Olive oil and olives
were consumed mainly in the olive-oil-producing regions. Availability of milk and
dairy products among the higher social classes appears to have increased in the early
years of the 20th century as compared with the 19th century.
A large portion of the Greek population, especially in the mountainous areas,
specialized in sheep- and goat herding. Data on the food resources of an 18-member
family of herders in northern Greece reveal that, besides sheep and goats, the family
also kept 23 pigs (out of which two were fed in a special manner in order to be
fattened), two cows, and several hens for subsistence purposes.10 Cereal crops,
potatoes (by the early 20th century, the potato had gained an important position as
a crop in the mountainous areas of Greece)25 and other vegetables were also produced
by the family to support its food needs and that needed for its animals.
Food availability among Greek peasants was at its highest during the periods
that followed the harvest of cereal crops, i.e., during summer and autumn months.
Available food, however, decreased markedly in winter and spring months. Areas
particularly vulnerable to famine were the islands and the mountainous regions.
During the period between 1670 and 1800, ten cases of famine were traced in various
Greek regions. Specifically, archival sources mention hunger periods accompanied
by several deaths on the islands of Cephalonia, Chios, Crete, and Hydra, as well as
in some northern regions of the country (such as the region of Pelion and the town
of Kozani). During periods of food scarcity, there were outbreaks of infectious
diseases, as reflected by the documented malaria cases. To obtain some nutrition
during hunger periods, islanders were even resorting to sea pebbles; the peasants in
Corfu collected pieces of stone that had attached various little shells and seaweed,
boiled them, and used the broth as the basis of their meal.30 By the 19th century,
however, according to modern Greek historians, the phenomenon of hunger was the
exception, at least in the grain-producing areas.28
In the 1930s, several Greek public health experts maintained that the majority
of the Greek population was chronically undernourished, basically "due to a regimen
that was deficient in high-quality protein". Life expectancy in 1928 was 49 years,
a figure that was significantly lower than that reported for the United States and
northern European countries. However, life expectancy increased by 13 years during
the period 1837 to 1928. In the 1930s, infant mortality was still high: 38.0% and
26.5% of the children in rural and urban regions, respectively, died before the age
of five. Infant mortality accounted at that time for 34% of total deaths in Greece,
and Greece ranked seventh among 24 European regions in total unadjusted death
rate. Among death causes, tuberculosis ranked first, accounting for 9% of all deaths.
Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal complications ranked second, while malaria came
third as a death cause
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