Galen of Pergamon, the Greek physician and influencer of nutrition and dietary medicine, modified Paxamus’s recipe into a prescription of a laxative biscuit for the wealthier members of society, using pure white flour instead of the “dirty” barley flour that was consumed by the underprivileged. Taken from Andrew and Rachel Dalby’s book, Gifts to the Gods: A History of Food in Greece, this prescriptive
