Today in my cooking class, we learned about the Mediterranean Diet. However, it really shouldn't be called "Diet", but "Lifestyle". Because, although there are various foods that are common to the 16 Mediterranean countries, it also includes a general attitude towards food and life. I think that it would be good for everyone to incorporate some of these aspects for a healthier lifestyle.
These attitudes include taking things slow, something not as common in the fast-paced American lifestyle. Italians taking time to enjoy the food: the preparation, cooking, and eating. They spend hours at the table, having conversation and perhaps an espresso or grappa after. They go for a walk or passeggiata after dinner so their food can digest and they don't go to bed on a fill stomach or have a late-night snack, since they eat dinner so much later. They eat more, but smaller meals during the day, so they don't snack on potato chips, but fruit.
The food is also, of course, important to this lifestyle. Now, in each country and region there are different foods consumed, but these are what's common to all of them. The Mediterraneans eat lots of cereals, dried fruit and nuts, fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, (traditionally) little meat and lots of fish, fresh cheeses and yogurt, wine in moderation, and olive oil. These foods are rich in antioxidants and nutrients and olive oil is one of the most unsaturated fats. I could do an entire post on olives and olive oil alone from what I learned in class today, but I will save that for another time.
As usual, I put up the recipes we made today and, as usual, it was fantastic. The ricotta paired beautifully with the tomato, the pasta was simple yet delicious, the vegetables had wonderful freshly toasted bread in it, and the dessert was divine! Oh yeah, and please post comments if anything in the recipe is unclear, I just copy them from my book.
Until next time...
Caitlin
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