Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists
C. D. Yonge, B.A., Ed.

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But Alexis made a catalogue of seasonings, in his play called the Caldron, saying—

A. Let me have no excuses, no “I have not.”
B. But tell me what you want—I will take all.
A. Quite right. Go first of all and take some sesame.
B. There's some within.
A. Take some grapes dried and cut,
Some fennel, anise, assafœtida,
Mustard and cabbage, some dry coriander,
Sumach and cummin, capers, marjoram,
Leeks, garlic, thyme, sage, seseli,
Some new-made wine boil'd down, some rue and spinach.

And, in his Woman working all Night, or the Spinners, he introduces a cook as saying—

I must run round, and bawl for what I want;
You'll call for supper when you home return,
And I have got no vinegar, nor anise,
Nor marjoram, nor fig-leaves, nor sweet oil,
Nor almonds, nor the lees of new-made wine,
Nor garlic, no, nor leeks, nor onions,
No fire, no cummin seed, no salt, no eggs,
No wood, no trough, no frying-pan, no rope;
No pail, no cistern, neither well nor pitcher;
Here I stand useless with but knife in hand,
Girt and prepared for action all in vain.

[p. 273] And, in his Wicked Woman, he says—

First of all take a dish of goodly size,
And put in marjoram and pounded herbs,
Steep'd to a fair extent in vinegar,
Colour'd with new made wine, and flavoured with
Plenty of potent assafœtida.

And Teleclides used the word ἐπεσθίειν, in his Prytanes, in this manner:—

τύριον ἐπεσθίοντα, eating cheese.

And Eupolis used the word ἐπιφαγεῖν in his Taxiarchs—

Wishing to eat (ἐπιφαγεῖν) of nothing
But just an onion and three pickled olives.

And Aristophanes, in his Plutus, says—

Once, out of poverty, he ate up (ἐπήσθιεν) everything.