The Mediterranean extension goes, according to cookery write Elizabeth David, all the way from Gibraltar to Marseilles, Barcelona and Genoa, embracing all those Greek islands like Sicily, Sardinia, Crete and Cyprus; ending in Lebanon, Constantinople and Smyrna. Iberinbound DMC, an incoming travel agency for groups all over Spain and Portugal, can take you to discover all of this magnificent food and delicatessen. First of all, you must know that Mediterranean cuisine bases itself on three main products, which are:
- Olive: This plant is such an integral part of Mediterranean cuisine that the countries with largest olive harvests are all near this area. This fruit is made edible by fermentation; which also yields another essential product: olive oil.
- Wheat: By 5,000 B.C., this grain had been spread all the way through the Mediterranean, in regions as far as Spain. It was already a critically important part of the meal since the Roman Empire, who considered white wheat a main part of their foods.
- Grapes: The presence of wine making in this area goes back to 6,000 B.C., around Crete and Greece. This fruit is grown not only with wine-making purposes, but also to be eaten as raisins and table grapes. Nowadays, Spain is the second largest grape producer.
Mediterranean diet
This term became popular around the 1970’s, and is sometimes mentioned along with Mediterranean cuisine. It was described by American physicians and experts in diets as a “…plant based way of eating more healthy among family and friends”; and also naming ingredients like “whole grains, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables, herbs, spices and olive oil” as main to have a better nutrition. It was proven that people who followed this diet had a lower risk of coronary diseases. Although, in present days, Mediterranean cuisine is slowly shifting into a more northern European way of eating, with more emphasis in meats. This said, there is no more to you than discover the Mediterranean cuisine by your own with Iberinbound, your DMC for Spain and Portugal.