So the ancinet greeks had fried cheese bread called encutya?

Close, but not quite — let’s untangle this:

You’re thinking of *“enctyta”* (ἐγκύτυα, sometimes spelled *egkutyta*), which is mentioned in a few ancient Greek sources. But it wasn’t exactly “fried cheese bread” in the way we think of, say, mozzarella sticks or grilled cheese.

**What were enctyta?**

– The word *ἐγκύτυον* originally referred to a kind of small vessel or mold. Over time, *enctyta* came to mean a kind of baked or molded cake or pastry.
– Many scholars think it was **a kind of cheesecake or cheese pastry** — dough or batter made with flour, honey, and cheese (often soft cheese like myzithra), sometimes cooked in these little molds.
– It may have been baked or possibly lightly fried depending on region and period — the recipes vary.
– Aristophanes, Athenaeus, and others mention similar cheese pastries, sometimes lumped into the broader family of *placenta*, *plakous*, or *melitoutta*.

**Was it fried?**
– Not usually described as fried in primary sources — more like baked or cooked in special vessels.
– But remember: ancient cooking terms can be loose, and oil-cooking was known. Some late recipes may have involved frying.

**In modern terms:**
You could loosely call *enctyta* an ancient proto-cheesecake or cheese tart, not really fried cheese bread. Though, knowing the Greeks, if you handed them a modern saganaki (pan-fried cheese), they probably would’ve approved.

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👉 If you want, I can pull together a speculative “authentic” recipe based on ancient sources. Shall we?
Encytum –
Ah — *encytum* — now we’re zeroing in.

You just slipped into the **Latinized** version of the word:
**encytum** (or *enkython* from Greek ἐγκυθον).

Roman and Greek writers both mention it. It’s basically:

> A kind of ancient cheese pastry made from flour, cheese, honey, and eggs — sometimes leavened, sometimes not.

**Basic form:**
– Mix flour and water into a dough
– Blend in soft cheese (think ricotta or myzithra)
– Add honey for sweetness
– Sometimes eggs, sometimes a bit of oil
– Baked on a flat hearthstone or in an oven

It was more cake-like than bread, but dense, slightly sweet, and rich from the cheese — *closer to an ancient cheesecake or cheesy flatbread.*

**Fried?**
Usually not. The word itself comes from *enkythein* = “to pour in” (into a mold), so it was molded or shaped for baking. But you know ancient kitchens — frying was possible depending on who made it.

**Cousins:**
– Roman *libum*
– Greek *plakous*
– Near cousin to early forms of cheesecake that eventually led to European cheesecake recipes centuries later.

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👉 If you want: I can give you a reconstructed *encytum* recipe based on Cato, Athenaeus, and archaeological digs. You’ll basically be baking like a Greek aristocrat. Shall I?
Said this version was fried. So what oils were available for frying>? Olive, lard, fish?
Excellent question — now you’re getting into the *real kitchen of the ancients.* You’re correct: **some versions of encytum (or enkython) may well have been fried.** There are scattered later references that mention frying or cooking in fat.

**So: what fats would they have used?**

### 1️⃣ **Olive oil — the king of ancient fats**
– By far the most common cooking fat in Greece, Italy, and much of the Mediterranean.
– Used for frying, baking, preserving, even lighting.
– High-end households used fresh oil; poorer ones used old or even lamp oil (if desperate — very smoky).
– Olive oil is most likely the default for any frying of encytum.

### 2️⃣ **Lard (pig fat) — occasionally, but much less common in Greece**
– More common in Roman kitchens.
– Greeks viewed pork fat as useful but not always ideal for pastries.
– If fried in lard, it was probably a Roman variation or a lower-class adaptation.

### 3️⃣ **Fish oil — only if you *hate yourself***
– *Garum* or *liquamen* was everywhere, but not used as cooking oil.
– Fish oil as frying fat is extremely rare and mostly avoided — taste, smoke, spoilage.

### 4️⃣ **Butter — almost absent in the Mediterranean**
– Northern Europe, some Thracians and Scythians — but the Greeks thought butter was for barbarians.

### 5️⃣ **Sesame oil — exotic but plausible for late Hellenistic or Eastern versions**
– Imported from the East occasionally.
– Very rare; more likely to see sesame *seeds* in pastries.

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👉 **Conclusion:**
> *If an encytum was fried, it was almost certainly fried in olive oil. Anything else would’ve been regional, lower-class, or much later adaptations.*

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If you’re game, I can give you:
– A “Greek-style” encytum (baked)
– A “Roman-style” encytum (possible fried variant)
– The “experimental ancient foodie” version.

Shall we roll up our sleeves?
So the flavor would be strange for an american palate
**Yes — and no.** Let me break it down like a skeptical time traveler:

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### 🔥 **What would taste familiar?**
– The cheese + honey combo → Think cheesecake vibes.
– The flour base → A bit like unsweetened pie crust.
– The olive oil frying → Reminiscent of Italian zeppole, beignets, or even funnel cake if you squint hard enough.
– The simplicity → It’s not far off from some “artisan” rustic breads or peasant tarts you see in hipster bakeries.

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### 🔥 **What would taste odd to the average American?**
– **Olive oil as the main frying fat** — imparts a grassy, slightly bitter note especially if it’s strong extra virgin.
– **Soft sheep/goat cheese** (myzithra or feta style) — tangier than ricotta or cream cheese.
– **Low sugar content** — ancient pastries weren’t sugar bombs. Honey was expensive, so the sweetness was mild.
– **Lack of spices** — no vanilla, no cinnamon (usually), no nutmeg — spices were luxury items.
– **Dense texture** — more like a heavy rustic scone than the fluffy fried dough Americans expect.

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### ⚠ **If you served it at a state fair:**
> “What the hell is this?”
>
> “It’s like cheesecake got into a fight with pita bread and nobody won.”

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**Bottom line:**
> It would not be *bad* — just *primitive.* Earthy, simple, oddly satisfying — but very “ancient-world peasant breakfast” to modern tongues.

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👉 If you want, I can write a “modernized encytum” that keeps it authentic but makes it friendlier to your 21st-century American taste buds. Want me to?