Mediterranean foods are hands down, my favorite foods to cook and to eat, for many reasons. I love all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are used. I love all the different spices used in the foods, and I love the breads, olive oils and of course, all the wines. A Mediterranean diet is also one of the healthiest diets to as well. But what is a Mediterranean diet, really?
The Mediterranean countries all border the Mediterranean Sea. These countries include, Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Cypress, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. They are in both and around Southern Europe and North Africa. So with all these different countries represented, from two different continents, there are many differences, both regional and cultural. There are also a lot of similarities too; a lot more than you might expect with so many different countries and cultures grouped together like this in “one” category. For centuries, these countries all thought of themselves as neighbors, but they are really more like cousins, especially when it comes to their cuisines.
Though there are many similarities in Mediterranean cuisines, the most common threads that bind them together come down to really only 3 main pillars; wheat, olives and grapes, which is broken down even further to mean, bread (wheat), olive oil (olives) and wine (grapes), though the wheat, olives and grapes are most definitely eaten on their own and incorporated into many different foods on their own. These are known as the Holy Trinity for Mediterranean cooking.
Breads and Grains
Bread has been a mainstay in peoples’ diets for 1000’s of years, and wheat was first cultivated around 9600 BCE, in the Southern Levant area of what is now known as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Turkey. These countries were all known as the bread basket of the world during the Ancient Roman times. The name Levant comes from the French word meaning “to rise” because these countries are all located to the “east” of France, and we all know the east is where the sun rises.
Bread has been a part of the diet of the Mediterranean for centuries, for a few reasons. Most people, rich and poor alike, start their day with some form of grains or bread, with either coffee or tea on the side. This is still the case too. The poorer populations, however, had no choice though, since breads were their main source of their food and nutrients because meats, and even some fruits and vegetables, were too expensive for them to eat on a regular basis.
Olives and Olive Trees
Olive trees have been growing in what is now Italy for roughly 20-40 million years, but the fruit, or the olives from the trees, have only been cultivated for about 7000 years or so. The olives themselves are certainly a large part of the Mediterranean diet, but almost 90% of the olives are used to make olive oil. Olive oil is the main source of fat for most people who live in the Mediterranean regions. The Greeks consume the highest amount of olive oil per capita, and it is estimated that on average, every Greek consumes about 12 liters of olive oil every year. Both Spain and Italy are close seconds. Olive oil is also used for many other reasons that extend far beyond the culinary world. The French use a lot of olive oil as well, but mostly in the Southern, Mediterranean areas. In Northern France, butter is used more often than olive oil.
Grapes and Wine
Wine is enjoyed all over the world, and today grapes are grown in almost every country. But the first grapes were cultivated in the Mediterranean between 7000-4000 BCE. The soil, the hot sun and cool evenings, and the terroirs of the Mediterranean regions are ideal for growing grapes and for wine making. Many great grapes are grown all over the world, and I have enjoyed many wines from all over the world, but France, Italy and Spain, as well as my place of origin, California (known for the same ideal growing conditions), are known as some of the best wine makers in the world, though there is a lot of fierce competition from many other grape and wine countries around the world today.
Other Key Ingredients of the Mediterranean
Other key ingredients to Mediterranean cooking are the wide array of spices that are used in the preparations of all the delectable dishes, as well as a variety of nuts, cheeses, made mostly from goat’s milk, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the use of a lot of lamb or goat for their main meat sources.
The Mediterranean regions of known for their wide variety of spices, since this has been the route of the spice traders for centuries. Again, each region and each area is known for their own particular spice varieties, but they all come together wonderfully.
My own spice cupboard overflows with a wide variety of spices from all over the world. I love to experiment with all of them, as you all know. This culinary history lesson was inspired from one of my favorite new cookbooks, “Mediterranean, The Ultimate Cookbook”, by Derek Bissonnette. I just prepared a whole Mediterranean meal and was going to highlight my recipes, with my own changes of course, as I always do, but I was side tracked by reading the fascinating history of the what constitutes a Mediterranean diet. I have lots and lots of very good Mediterranean cookbooks, but this one is the most inclusive and diverse yet. It is so full of wonderful recipes, from the WHOLE Mediterranean region, not just the familiar ones. If you love Mediterranean foods like I do, I highly recommend this book. Believe it or not, I bought it at Costco on a whim too. I am so glad I caved to my impulsive nature. I LOVE this cookbook. :)
And I just had to share this iconic photo as well, that is the from one of the front pages of the book. It is in the old, Gothic section of Barcelona, and we were just there in September, 2023. :) I have this same picture, only mine has people walking across the bridge.
Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ’Til next time.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 