The ancient Spartan melas zomos (μέλας ζωμός mélās zōmós), or black soup / black broth, was a staple soup made of boiled pigs' legs, blood, salt and vinegar. It is thought that the vinegar was used as an emulsifier to keep the blood from clotting during the cooking process.

The armies of Sparta mainly ate this as part of their subsistence diet.

According to legend, a man from Sybaris, a city in southern Italy infamous for its luxury and gluttony (which gave rise to the word sybarite), after tasting the Spartans' black soup remarked with disgust, "Now I do perceive why it is that Spartan soldiers encounter death so joyfully; dead men require no longer to eat; black broth is no longer a necessity."

In another story, it is said that Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, bought a slave who had been a Spartan cook and ordered him to prepare the broth for him, sparing no expense. When the king tasted it, he spat it out in disgust, whereupon the cook said, "Your Majesty, it is necessary to have exercised in the Spartan manner, and to have bathed in the Eurotas, in order to relish this broth."

Watch the video for more about the Famous Spartan Black Soup

MELAS ZOMOS INGREDIENTS: - 2lb (1kg) Pig Leg (or other pork product) - 2 Cups (1/2 liter) Pig Blood - 1 Cup (235ml) White Wine Vinegar - 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil - 1 Tsp Salt - 4 Cups (1 Litre) Water - 3 Bay Leaf - 1 Large Chopped Onion

METHOD: 1. Set a large stock pot over medium heat, then add the olive oil and onions and cook until tender and lightly brown, about 10 minutes. 2. Add the chopped pork to the pot book for another 10 minutes. 3. Pour in the vinegar and 3-4 cups of water (4 if you have fresh pig's blood, 3 if you have coagulated blood), the salt and the bay leaves. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and let the soup simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to and hour or until the pork is cooked through. 4. Add the pork blood* and simmer for 15 minutes more, then serve. *If you are using coagulated pork blood, mix it with the final cup of water in a blender and blend until most of it is liquid. Strain out any large chunks and add the liquid to the soup.