Mediterranean cuisine is a tasty blend of healthy and fresh ingredients and bold flavors. This culinary tradition has a universal appeal and popularity with its diverse range of cuisines. Here we learn what makes Mediterranean cuisine unique.
What is Mediterranean cuisine?
The term Mediterranean covers countries located around the Mediterranean Sea like Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco. The Mediterranean region has developed its own unique culinary tradition that has a huge following around the world. Though each of these countries have some distinctness about their cooking and tastes, some ingredients, flavors and cooking processes are common to them.
Most common ingredients
Mediterranean cuisine is highly known for its health benefits like low risk of heart diseases, obesity and some types of cancer. The most popular ingredients used across Mediterranean cuisines include fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, less amount of red meat and processed foods, and a moderate amount of fish and poultry. Olive is a staple across most dishes seen in the Mediterranean tradition. Olive is highly known for its rich flavor and alluring health benefits. One another common ingredient in the Mediterranean cuisines is lemon which bestows a special flavor and acidity to preparations.
Most common spices
Herbs like rosemary, parsley, and thyme help add flavor to Mediterranean dishes. Spices likepaprika and cumin are also used to add heat and depth to preparations. Some other widely used staples in Mediterranean cuisines are seafood and fish like tuna, squid, anchovies, and sardines. These ingredients are either grilled or fried and are widely used to make soups and fish stews. All these spices help bestow unique flavors and tastes to Mediterranean cuisines.
Most popular Mediterranean dishes
Originating in Valencia, Spain, Paella is a highly popular dish in Mediterranean cuisine. Highly known for its authentic taste and rich flavors, Paella is a saffron-flavored rice dish most commonly using rabbit, chicken or seafood.
A traditional dish with its origin attributed to Greece, Moussaka is prepared using tomatoes, eggplant and ground meat.
Very popular in North Africa and the Middle East, Shakshuka is a dish made by poaching eggs in a sauce of spices, onions, tomatoes, and chili peppers.
Some other most common dishes of the Mediterranean tradition are Italian pasta dishes like spaghetti carbonara, , Moroccan dishes includingtajine, and galician style octopus, and Greek dishes like gyro.
Take Home
Mediterranean cuisine can be understood as a nutritious and tasty way of adding a global flavor to culinary preparations. While visiting a Mediterranean cuisine restaurant, this post would give you an idea on what to order that can suit your taste and preferences.
There is something very special about Mediterranean cuisine. To discover the authentic taste of Mediterranean foods, it is important that you choose the best Mediterranean cuisine restaurant in your region. Do some research, take referrals from contacts and read some genuine online reviews to find the best one. With a wide selection of dishes, Mediterranean cuisine provides a diverse kind of choice for food lovers.
