Eating western is leading to increase problems
The Mediterranean cuisine is a philosophy:
Life has to be savored. Foods are made to live better
The Mediterranean is the cuisine of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea.
It’s characterized by flexibility, range of ingredients and many regional variations.
Today it’s important to understand its basics because its associated with an over all increasing of health benefits.
The Mediterranean cuisine today
The popularization of the Mediterranean diet has created a real business around it.
Today there are a lot of food and restaurants chains that boast to be “Mediterranean friendly“.
This has compromised the real cuisine. They haven’t spent much time in countries where it was created.
That’s why I suggest you to return to the ancient home made traditions and learn how to cook by yourself.
History of the Med cuisine
This is a poor cuisine, made with simple foods and cooking techniques.
The traditional eating habits of the Mediterranean peoples are based on the livestock, fishing and agriculture of their regions.
The climate has not always favored the grow of large quantities of cows. Bovine meat and butter were never very popular.
That’s why most foods are lower in cholesterol and healthier.
Foods to eat on a Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean foods are famous for their combination of great tastes and big healthy benefits.
It’s possible to eat these foods while keeping the control of fat and calorie amounts.
To learn more have a look on the food chart and see what are the basic foods:
- Olive oil
- Bread
- Pasta (over 20 types)
- Onions, garlic, and tomatoes
- Wine
- Cheeses made from sheep’s milk
- Fish and Seafood
- Meat (Sheep, goats and chickens)
- Dried fruit
- Yogurt
- Italian ham
- Eggplants, peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, artichokes and various greens and lettuces.
- Legumes
- Fresh herbs include rosemary, basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, dill, fennel, and oregano.
- Nuts and honey
Top Recipes
You’ll never be bored with the Mediterranean diet. There is an enormous variety of recipes and foods.
Common principles of the recipes
- Olive oil is essential and everywhere
- Flavors are robust and clear (No complicated sauces and heavy cream and butter)
- Primary role of fresh vegetables
- Seafood remains at the core of the cooking heritage
- Heavy use of tomatoes
- Pasta and bread are the Stars
- Intensive use of salads
- Unique plates (i.e. Pizza is one of the healthiest foods you can eat)
Top 10 Mediterranean recipes
- Greek salad
- Pasta and fresh tomatoes
- Grilled seafood
- Pasta and beans
- Pizza margherita
- Bruschetta (Bread, garlic, tomato and basil)
- Sheep’s cheese and honey
- Chicken salad
- Fava Bean Spread
- Fresh vegetables to the brace
Cooking
You can become a great chef without using sophisticated foods.
It’s not the quantity of food you use. It’s all about their freshness and quality.
The trick in every dish is to use home-grown aromatic herbs like basil, mint, oregano, and so on…
Ways to cook foods
- Olive oil has a big range of uses in the Mediterranean kitchen: cooking, frying, sauteing, seasoning, marinating, stewing, preserving, dipping, or drizzling on bread.
- Lemon juice is used to marinate row meats and fish.
- Fish, lamb and goat are priceless grilled.
- Cheeses are cooked alone, as condiment in salads or prepared in a sandwich.
- Pasta is always boiled “Al denteâ€.
Learn Cooking basics
- How to easily peel tomatoes
- How to cook legumes
- How to cook pasta
- How to roast meats and fishes
Cooking technics
- Baking is cooking food by dry heat in an oven. (Bread, pastries and fish)
- Boiling is the process of cooking ingredients immersed in water. (Potatoes, pasta, legumes)
- Roasting is putting foods in a bed of hot embers or ashes, or over a wood fire. (Eggplants, Artichokes)
- Frying is cooking food in hot Olive oil or butter. (Sardines, Vegetables, Onion)
- Grilling is cooking food over high direct heat. (Mushrooms, lamb, vegetables,fish)
Cuisine of the Mediterranean countries
The Mediterranean can be crudely divided into three culinary regions:
- North African (Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian)
- Eastern Mediterranean (Egyptian, Greece, Israel, Palestine, Libyan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkish)
- Southern European (Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, Cypriot, Maltese, Portugal )
