Mediterranean diet
origins
The traditional eating habits of Mediterranean
peoples are based on the livestock, fishing and agriculture
of their region, which has a long growing season and rather
mild climate. It's that simple. The traditional diets of Greeks,
Sicilians and Tunisians reflect distinct cuisines and culinary
practices but naturally have a great deal in common. Some
authors have suggested that the Mediterranean diet was rooted
in some way in regional "poverty." In fact, ancient
Rome and medieval Sicily were Europe's most prosperous regions.
Certain foods, such as bovine meat and butter, were never
very popular in the Mediterranean region because the climate
has not always favored the expansive grazing lands required
to raise large quantities of buffalo and cows, though both
have been raised in these countries for centuries. It so happens
that most cheeses made from sheep's milk are lower in cholesterol
than those made from cow's milk, while olive oil, with its
monounsaturated fat, is healthier than colesterol-laden butter.
Mediterranean peoples historically consumed fish, poultry,
game, lamb and kid rather than beef. The meat of sheep, goats
and even chickens contains some fat, of course, but Mediterraneans
usually consumed less meat than their northern European neighbors.
Wine, which has certain cholesterol reducing effects, is a
staple of the Mediterranean diet, and regions like Italy and
southern France have historically produced more wine than
England and northern Germany.
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