While the Mediterranean lifestyle often involves food and drink, from family home-cooked banquets and food festivals to local restaurants and café culture, the lifestyle involves a lot more than just diet, as we shall see.
But first, let’s take a look at some of the lovely foods that are popular in Mediterranean countries.
The Mediterranean Diet
While each Mediterranean country has its own culinary traditions and local dishes, the diet often involves healthy fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Olive oil is also often a staple part of the Mediterranean diet, as are fresh herbs and spices like basil, rosemary, and cumin.
Here are just a few of the delicious dishes you can try in different Mediterranean countries:
- Greece: Moussaka is an eggplant and ground meat layered dish topped with a creamy béchamel sauce. Yum.
- Italy: Pasta Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, and pecorino cheese.
- Spain: Paella is a rice dish usually served with a variety of seafood or meats, like mussels or rabbit.
- Turkey: Shish Kebabs consist of cubed meats, peppers, and onions grilled on skewers.
- Lebanon: Tabbouleh is a refreshing Lebanese vegetarian salad made from bulgur wheat, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and mint leaves.
- Cyprus: Souvlaki consists of small pieces of meat grilled on skewers.
- Morocco: Couscous Royale is an iconic Moroccan dish, traditionally prepared on Fridays, that is served with vegetables, chickpeas, and different types of meat; usually mutton or chicken.
The good news is that you don’t have to travel to exotic places to try Mediterranean cuisine. Indeed, you don’t even have to visit local Mediterranean restaurants. Instead, you can use a meal delivery kit service to cook Mediterranean dishes in your own kitchen.
Meal delivery companies typically send easy-to-follow recipes and all the prepped ingredients you need, in addition to premeasured sauces, spices, or dressings, to make authentic-tasting dishes.
Also, vegetarian and vegan options are typically available. So, you can easily get your favorite vegan dishes delivered to your door to sample Mediterranean foods and cuisines from other cultures.
Adopting the Mediterranean Lifestyle
Eating Mediterranean food is just the beginning of adopting a Mediterranean lifestyle. If you plan on visiting a Mediterranean country, you’ll be able to fit in like a local if you remember the following key elements of the general lifestyle of people in Mediterranean countries.
Community and Social Connection
In countries like Greece, Spain, and Italy, community connection plays a significant role in society. Friends and families always find time to meet each other for meaningful conversations and laughter. And entire local communities often come together in times of need.
Siestas
In Spain and some other Mediterranean countries, taking a mid-afternoon siesta, which is essentially a short nap after lunchtime to avoid working in the hot sun, is a tradition that’s richly treasured.
Respect for Nature
The Mediterranean region’s peoples have always had a deep respect for nature. Households often have herb pots near kitchen windows, while gardens sprout vibrant flowers and fruit trees.
Work-Life Balance
The balance of work and personal life plays an influential role in the Mediterranean way of living.
It’s common in certain regions for shops to close mid-afternoon one or two days a week and remain closed for the day. This allows workers time to relax and connect with their families and friends.
Embracing Art
The Mediterranean population generally has a tremendous passion for art, from painting and sculpture to architecture and textiles. So, if you want to adopt the Mediterranean lifestyle, nurture an appreciation of art by doing things like visiting museums and galleries.
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