"So, the abundant materials here are also very much needed by Greece. So, I hope that my arrival this time can promote the merchants between our two countries to exchange what they have and what they need, and sell the goods needed by each other to each other's countries."
"of course can."
Hannibal agreed immediately.
Who doesn't like doing business?
"Please enjoy the delicious food of Carthage."
"Okay, then I'm welcome."
At Hannibal's invitation, Hilde came to the dining table.
In front of Hilde, there were many specialties of Carthage. The Carthaginians' recipes were not very different from those of the Greeks, but there were still some differences. Rougher barbecues dominated the table, such as roasted chicken or some beasts, accounting for at least 70%. The cinnamon aroma on the barbecue was very rich, and there were some spices that Hilde didn't know. The pickled olives and olive oil made from the olives of Carthage, with their refreshing fragrance, became the main seasoning.
These foods are mainly paired with a kind of food called flatbread by the Carthaginians. This is a flatbread made with soft cream and yogurt, which is softer than Greek flatbread and bread, with a faint aroma of garlic and olives. This flatbread can be eaten with cheese, grilled meat, grilled fish, olives, and some fresh vegetables, and is also paired with grape juice or red wine produced in Carthage.
Very Mediterranean food.
Hilde took a small bite.
"good."
Hilde gave this evaluation.
Anyway, it’s okay for modern people’s taste.
This is already a high evaluation.
On the other side, Sophia, who was sitting next to Hilde, was biting at a soft naan. Of course, she had already rolled a mixture of grilled fish, olives and cheese into the naan. She ate very elegantly, chewing each bite carefully before swallowing it. But to Hilde's surprise, Sophia did not stop to rest. She would continue eating after taking a bite. She was like a squirrel holding a nut and not letting go, eating very attentively.
It's really rare.
Hilde couldn't help but sigh.
This was the first time she had seen it.
On the other side, Rhodes was also eating happily.
It seems that for Greeks, the food here is really good.
At this time, the maid brought a glass of wine and placed it in front of Hilde. Hilde was stunned at first, and when she took a closer look, the turbid yellow liquid in the glass made Hilde's heart tremble. She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the glass and took a sip... The bitter taste suddenly awakened Hilde's memory.
beer!?
It's beer?
Hilde was a little surprised.
Hilde took two big gulps. The bitter taste of fermented wheat really made Hilde unable to stop. Soon, the maids brought new dishes. In an instant, the banquet hall was filled with the aroma of stewed meat. In front of Hilde was beef stewed with local spices, some very novel meats, and bread that Hilde was familiar with.
It turns out that the bread was served later.
But this bread is also different from the Greek one, it is softer, obviously a lot of auxiliary ingredients are added to make the bread rich and soft. When you put it in your mouth, you can feel the rich aroma, which is obviously the result of butter and cream. The stew is also very flavorful, with the aroma of cinnamon and the original aroma of beef blended together. As for the other barbecued meats, Hilde really couldn't tell what kind of animal they were. There was a strange smell of wild beasts, but the taste was actually okay and tasted good.
Hilde, who hadn't had much good food for a long time in ancient Greece.
So I asked what the dish was.
The result surprised Hilde.
There were at least twenty kinds of dishes at this banquet.
The staple food is soft Carthaginian bread and Egyptian flatbread, which is the staple food that Hilde eats. In addition to wine and pomegranate juice, there is also beer brewed from bread, which is also a drink originated from Egypt, but is not popular in Greece. There are a lot of barbecues, in addition to roasted beef, mutton, pigeons, chickens and ducks, and seasonal fish, there are also some wild animals.
The Conversation of Hamilcar
These wild animals are all local to Africa, such as antelopes, hippos, ostriches, wild donkeys, buffaloes, goats, crocodiles, and even lions and hyenas. They are now served on the table. The meat that Hilde eats with a strange taste is the meat of these animals. If Hilde were to comment, the taste of antelopes, buffaloes, and other vegetarian animals is quite good. Crocodile meat is very tender, while hyena meat has a kind of earthy smell. Hilde really couldn't get used to it. He stopped eating after two bites. He really couldn't eat it anymore.
As for desserts, there are cakes with dates and honey, as well as snacks made from ground jatropha beans mixed with honey.
And some fresh fruit.
For example, there is a fruit called quince, which is similar to a pear.
The taste is sweet and sour, but a little astringent.
There is also a nut called pistachio. When it was served, Hilde realized that it was actually pistachio. The tubers of papyrus, the raw material for making papyrus, were also made into food. They tasted a bit like sugar cane, not sweet enough, but with a herbal fragrance. Dates, palm fruits and avocados are rare in Greece, but figs and raisins can also be seen in Greece, so they are not surprising.
As for vegetables, there are more cucumbers, melons, gourds, lettuce and celery, and there are also many beans as side dishes for meat, such as peas, chickpeas and lentils. They even eat lotus flowers, which is a bit like the lotus root eaten by the Chinese, and they also eat the root part.
These things opened Hilde's eyes.
Sure enough, when it comes to eating.
The Greeks really can't do it.
However, Hilde ate only when she had enough. As an emperor, she could not act like she hadn't eaten for a long time at a dinner table in another country. So, she had to maintain her image. After tasting each dish, Hilde concentrated on drinking beer and then had salt-fried pistachios as a side dish. This combination reminded Hilde of the indulgent days when she was still a social animal.
Serve with pistachios.
That's something you can only do when you are quite rich.
"Excuse me, does it still suit your taste?"
Hannibal asked when he saw Hilde put down her knife and fork.
Hilde responded with a smile: "It's delicious, but I'm full."
"If you think it's delicious, that's great."
"As expected of Carthage, which is a wealthy city. It's really hard to eat such delicious food in Greece."
"It's cold in Greece, so many plants can't grow, which is normal."
"Moreover, there is very little fertile land in Greece. It is all mountainous. It is already difficult to grow food to feed all the people. If there is extra land, flax is used to produce linen, olives are used to produce olive oil, and grapes are used to make wine. There is no extra land to grow other plants. For example, this... pistachio?"
"You seem to like it very much."
"Indeed, I ate it when I was a kid, but I haven't had it for a long time."
The childhood that Hilde was referring to was before the time travel.
However, Hannibal didn't think much about it.
After all, Hilde grew up in Athens as a child, so it's not surprising that she had eaten pistachios in Athens.
"If you like, I will personally give you a boat as a gift when you leave."
"Then how long will I have to eat them... Thank you for your kindness, I will buy some at the market and take them away. Moreover, when the two sides open up trade, my own merchant ships will definitely come here every once in a while to purchase the ingredients here. By then, I hope you won't hide the good pistachios and only sell me the bad ones, that's all."
"That's absolutely impossible!"
Hannibal patted his chest.
"We absolutely cannot do such a thing!"
"That's good."
The beer is really good...
Hild had considered brewing beer before, but brewing beer is much more difficult than aged brandy, and many beers brewed are hard to drink, but the taste of this one in Carthage is very good. Hannibal said that this is also a method of brewing beer that came from Egypt, using bread and hops... Brewing with bread is very similar to the Russian method of making kvass. It just turns sugar into alcohol.
Hilde was not very interested in food, he actually preferred drinking. Wine was the most important thing.
During the banquet.
Hilde also focused his attention on other Carthaginian nobles.
The nobles of Carthage had different surnames, the most distinguished of which were the Mago and Barca families, while the Hanno family was also very famous, but it did not seem to be considered a major family. In history, the rise of the Hanno family was not until hundreds of years later, when the great Hanno became the king of Carthage, that it was considered a leading family. Now it can only be regarded as a relatively wealthy noble in Carthage.
The Mago family is the royal family, and the other branch is the Barca family, which is the most powerful noble family. Although they are not kings, they have intermarried with the Mago family and are highly involved in politics. It is said that the current chief official of the Carthaginian court is from the Barca family, named Hamilcar Barca.
And it wasn't long after Hilde finished eating.
A tall man came in front of Hilde.
"Your Majesty, Basilius, hello."
He gave a very standard greeting and said in fluent Greek:
"I am Hamilcar Barca, and I am the courtier here."
"So you are Hamilcar."
Hilde smiled slightly and nodded.
"I have heard your name mentioned by His Majesty Hannibal."
"Really? It would be my pleasure."
"I originally thought that the patriarch of the famous Barca family, the chief minister assisting His Majesty Hannibal, was a wise old man, but I didn't expect him to be as mighty as a general." Hilde took a quick look and said seriously, "Just by looking at this strong body, I can be sure that you must be a man of both civil and military talents."
"Your Majesty, thank you very much."
Hamilcar was also very humble.
Then, Hilde, holding a glass of wine, began to chat with Hamilcar.
"Your Majesty, generally speaking, a distinguished person like you would not come to another country in person. This time, your visit really caught us Carthage off guard."
"So, I should apologize?"
"Of course not, it's our pleasure."
Hamilcar quickly explained: "It's just that it happened a little suddenly."
The third tune, the sixth section, questions from the other party
But Hamilcar was right.
There are very few people like Hilde who come here without saying hello.
Carthage had never seen anything like this in its hundreds of years of existence.
"The main reason is that I originally wanted to send an envoy, but unfortunately, there are too few Greeks who are proficient in Carthaginian. Even if I send someone, it is difficult to find someone I trust. I attach great importance to our future relationship with the Carthaginians, so since the distance is not too far, I came here in person. Of course, the most important point here is that my wife is a Carthaginian. She hasn't been back here for a long time, and she should take a look at what the hometown of her beloved looks like."
"Then your majesty is really thoughtful."
Hamilcar glanced at Sophia on the other side.
Now, Sophia is still eating.
Since Sophia was wrapped in a burqa, it was difficult for her to attract other people's attention when she lowered her head to eat. But she could sense that Hannibal was secretly observing Sophia and was obviously very concerned. Of course, Hilde saw all of this and could fully feel the awkward situation. But Hilde said nothing, but continued to smile and said to Hamilcar:
"Also, I learned some things from my wife that are difficult to say out loud."
"What is it, sire?"
Hilde watched Hamilcar's reaction.
But Hamilcar showed no flaws and only looked curious.
"I understand that my wife's last name is Mago, which is from the royal family. Does that mean that my wife has a lot of connections with the royal family? Then why was she, a member of the royal family, turned into a slave and sold to Athens?"
“But as far as I know, there is indeed no such person as Alyssa in the Mago family.”
Hamilcar said helplessly:
"Perhaps Her Highness Alyssa was too young at the time and remembered her last name incorrectly. It might not be Mago, but Baka."
"Then does the Baka family have one?"
"I have to go back and ask about this."
Seeing that Hamilcar took the responsibility of this matter directly, Hilde knew that this matter was not that simple. Regarding the question of Sophia's life experience, Hilde felt that it was enough to stop here and not continue to ask about this issue. If she continued to ask, there would be no result. So, Hilde smiled slightly and changed the topic: "Of course, this is not the main purpose of my coming. I mainly want to establish formal diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Carthage and promote peaceful coexistence and economic and trade exchanges between our two countries. You see, there are many Carthaginians doing business in Greece, and Greeks are also doing business in Carthage. If our two countries coexist peacefully and protect each other's citizens, then merchants will have closer exchanges, and won't they be able to create more wealth?"
"I agree with your idea."
Hamilcar naturally had to say all the polite words.
“Making money is the most important thing.”
"Yes, for money, cheers."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The two clinked their glasses gently and then drank the beer in the glasses.
"Your Majesty, I heard from our country's merchants that the Greek Empire is now deploying troops to attack Syracuse. What is this about..."
"it is true."
Hilde admitted it generously.
