Lecture 1 - History of Med. Diet

Ranking of Mediterranean Diet

#1 for many health conditions like diabetes, arthritis; weight loss

What does the diet limit?

Saturated and trans fats, sugar, and processed foods

Examples of Food in Diet

Fish, olive oil (healthy lipid), beans/legumes, whole grains, poultry, veggies

Why was the diet started?

Rising number of death from CHD found by 7 Countries Study

7 Countries Study:

• Fat causes CHD

• Increasing rate of CHD deaths

• Lowest death rate was in the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

Geography of Greece

Mostly mountainous, many islands, with mild/rainy winter and dry/hot summer

Biodiversity of Greece

Many endemic plants due to various micro-climates and being unglaciated

Mountain Tea

From Sideritis plant; herbal and caffeine free used to be used to heal wounds

Neolithic Age Key Points

• Building houses/villages

• Diversion of language

• Olives and wine production

• Veggie and fruit processing

FOUNDATIONS of Med. Diet

Bronze Age Civilizations

• Minoans on Crete

• Cycladic on Cyclades

• Myceneans on mainland

Trojan War

During Bronze Age for passage to Black Sea; inspired myth

Production in Bronze Age

• Cultivating many plants, fruits, nuts, olives, etc.

• First production of olive oil, honey, and cheese (feta)

  • Myth of feta from cyclops & goat milk

• Souvlaki was made

Cooking in Bronze Age

Everything we do today (boiling, steaming, etc.)

Social Traditions with Food in Bronze Age

Public and private feasts to build community and social connections

Archaic Period

• End of the Persian Wars

  • Greek alphabet; Athens and Sparta established

Classical Period

Death of Alexander the Great; Democracy

Agriculture during Classical/Archaic Periods

Difficult due to mountains, leading to colonization

Foods eaten during Classical/Archaic Periods

• Unleavened bread and olives

• Legumes and roasted chickpeas

• Honey, grape juice, must as sweeteners

• Meat saved for religious festivals

VERY limited food options (not enough to feed everyone)

Vegetarian sects

Orphism and Pythagoreanism during classical/archaic; saw eating meat as cannibalism

Opinions on Butter

Didn’t like it, “butter-eaters”

Preservation method during Classical/Archaic

Fermentation

How did Greeks drink wine?

ALWAYS mixed with water, considered barbaric and blasphemy not to

Garum

Type of liquor made from fish intestines and salt

PGI (Protected Geographical Indication)

Protects products made from a specific location (Kalamata olives can’t be named Kalamata if not produced in Kalamata)

PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)

Protects the NAME of the place that produces a certain product with specific features/tastes/etc. (A place can’t be called kalamata because it doesn’t produce kalamata olives)

Food as Medicine

• Started from the belief that illness is caused by fluid imbalances

• MODERATION, nothing in excess

  • Asclepius’ staff being a snake = ambiguity of help vs. harm

Food relating to Philosophy

Vegetarianism as ideal and everything in moderation

Cookbooks

Made during Archaic/Classical periods, were considered a form of art

Symposiums

• Men-only gatherings to drink wine

• 3-krater limit

  • 1 for healthy, pleasure, sleep

    • Then bad behavior, shouting, until unconscious

• Poetry, music, prostitutes

Foundations of Mediterranean Diet

Cereals, olives, grapes, fruits, veggies, legumes, and everything in moderation

What marked the end of the Classical era?

Christianity; moving into Hellenistic and Roman periods

Foods during Hellenistic/Roman periods

More meat, flat bread (pita), spices, citrus, rice

Changes from Roman conquering Greece:

Caste system (Greece used to be equal), women and children in symposiums
Greek culture dominated

Retsina

Wine flavored with pine sap

Taberna

Tavern to purchase food and wine

Why did Taberna’s exist?

Because Romans didn’t cook

Dietetics

Declared a branch of medicine by Galen

Byzantium

Survived fall of Rome; Christian civilization

Food Legacy of Byzantium

Table fork and marzipan

Byzantium Fasting

Practice used to be closer to God; no wine, meat, or plant oils

New Foods during Byzantium

Baklava, tiropita, dolmades

Ottoman Era

Influenced from Persia, Arabic, Turkish, Byzantine; people were stubborn to change

WWII

Frugal diet was healthy, Germans took food

Common Practices of Mediterranean Diet

• Home-cooked meals eaten together, fasting, preservation

• Mezze (small dishes with meals)

• Fruits, salads, tea, Greek coffee