Mediterranean Diet Cooking Guide

The Mediterranean diet consistently tops research rankings as the most healthful eating pattern in the world. But it doesn't feel like a "diet" — it feels like the vibrant, generous, deeply flavorful food of coastal Italy, Greece, Spain, Lebanon, and their neighbors. That's because it is.

Core Principles

• Olive oil is the primary fat — used generously in cooking and as a finishing oil
• Abundant vegetables — at every meal, usually cooked in olive oil
• Legumes are the main protein — beans, lentils, and chickpeas eaten several times a week
• Fish and seafood — 2+ times per week
• Whole grains — bread, pasta, farro, barley
• Dairy in moderation — mostly as cheese and yogurt, not milk
• Minimal red meat — treated as a flavoring rather than the main event
• Seasonal, local, fresh — food quality matters enormously

The Olive Oil Foundation

Mediterranean cooks use olive oil the way other cuisines use butter or lard — generously and for everything. A pot of white beans braised in copious olive oil with sage and garlic (Italian white beans) is one of the simplest, most satisfying dishes imaginable. The oil becomes the sauce, enriching and flavoring everything.

Extra-virgin olive oil is used raw (on salads, drizzled over soups) as well as for cooking up to medium heat. Its polyphenols are what make it so distinctively healthful.

The Vegetable Philosophy

Mediterranean cooking transforms humble vegetables through a few simple techniques:

• Roasting: Caramelization concentrates flavors — aubergine, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini become extraordinary when roasted with olive oil and herbs
• Braising in olive oil: The Greek technique of yiahni — vegetables braised slowly in olive oil, tomatoes, and onion until meltingly tender
• Raw: Tomatoes with olive oil and sea salt is arguably the most perfect dish in existence
• Mezze-style: Small dishes of marinated olives, roasted peppers, feta, hummus, tabbouleh — vegetables as celebration

5 Dishes to Master

1. Greek salad: Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and feta with olive oil. Simple. Perfect.
2. Hummus from scratch: Cooked chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon, garlic, and olive oil — infinitely better than store-bought
3. Shakshuka: Eggs poached in spiced tomato and pepper sauce — Israeli/North African, beloved across the region
4. Baked fish with vegetables: White fish baked over a bed of tomatoes, olives, capers, and herbs in olive oil — 30 minutes, restaurant quality
5. Pasta e fagioli: Pasta and beans in rich tomato broth — Italian peasant food at its grandest

Building a Mediterranean Pantry

• High-quality extra-virgin olive oil (your most important purchase)
• Canned tomatoes (San Marzano if possible)
• Dried chickpeas, white beans, lentils
• Tahini
• Good dried pasta
• Farro, barley, or freekeh for grain bowls
• Dried herbs: oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves
• Preserved lemons (transformative flavor)
• Capers and olives
• Anchovies