Archestratus of Gela (Ἀρχέστρατος ὁ Γελῆς) was a Greek poet from Sicily who lived in the mid-4th century BCE [1]. He traveled extensively through the Greek world to cities famed for their food, including Athens and Byzantium, gathering the firsthand gastronomic knowledge that informed his work [1][2]. Beyond his origin and travels, few biographical details survive [1][2].

His sole known work is the Hedypatheia ("Life of Luxury"), a didactic hexameter poem on gastronomy that survives in approximately 60 fragments [1][2][3]. It offers practical advice on sourcing the finest ingredients and their simple preparation.

Archestratus is significant as the author of the earliest known Greek cookbook or gastronomic treatise [1][2]. His poem uniquely blends the didactic epic tradition with the subject of luxurious dining. Later writers called him "the Hesiod of tasty dishes" [1]. His work was a major source for Athenaeus, who preserves most fragments in his Deipnosophistae, and provides valuable insights into 4th-century BCE foodways, trade, and cultural attitudes toward luxury [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/archestratus/ 2. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-735 3. Perseus Digital Library, Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2013.01.0002%3Abook%3D3&force=y