Mediterranean cuisine is world famous due to its rich history filled with shared cultures and influences. While the region’s countries are celebrated for their diverse local traditions and lifestyles, cultures, myths, and religious celebrations, they are also brought together by their Mediterranean food culture.
This resulted in plant-based cooking that celebrates fresh produce, plenty of seafood, and a wide variety of whole grains.
Understanding the factors that led to how Mediterranean cuisine has grown and unfolded makes it important to experience it in an equally distinct way. Read on to know more about the three unique ways you can try Mediterranean food.
Unique Ways to Try Mediterranean Food
Go to old independent restaurants
If you’re a true connoisseur of food, you have likely experienced searching hard for old independent restaurants to find the best, most authentic dishes out there.
This is a great way to go about discovering Mediterranean food. Whichever country you are in, you can either research destinations that offer variations of the cuisine or go the organic route by simply walking around neighbourhoods looking for hidden gems.
You’ll find that these restaurants expose you to different styles of authentic cooking. Aside from offering diverse dishes, these shops are also more cozy, friendly, intimate, and often run by a family. Every country has their own traditions that haven’t changed that you should embrace.
For example, in Greece if you were visiting over Christmas you would feast on lamb served with spinach and cheese pie along with various salads and vegetables.
Going local and finding the small independent restaurants rather than eating at the tourist traps is the true way to discover a food culture.
Dine on the water
Most Mediterranean dishes feature seafood prominently and since it has such a strong hold on Mediterranean cuisine, it’s best to dine right at the source. Anyone who has been to the Mediterranean has dined at a restaurant overlooking the sea. Yet you can take it a step further by eating on the water.
Today, luxury sea journeys are no longer just port-to-port stops but culinary adventures. Explora Cruises, which extensively covers the Mediterranean, offers a full culinary experience onboard that rivals the Mediterranean restaurants found on the shore.
This makes for an immersive tasting experience, not to mention all the stunning sights you’ll get to see during your meals. Similarly, Costa Cruise Lines offers dining options that are heavily influenced by Italian food traditions.
Harvest the food yourself
There’s an almost primal satisfaction in eating produce that has been taken straight from the ground. Because the cuisine advocates for simple and frugal dishes, most of the ingredients are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and milk which are locally sourced.
For instance, an Italian region called Puglia has a long tradition of vegetable growing and these vegetables are then used to create several famous local pasta dishes.
Visit the local farms and pick the produce yourself rather than buying from a supermarket. Not only will the food be as fresh as it can be, you will also have a greater appreciation of how it is grown.
Any one of the ways we’ve listed above will allow you to maximise your dining experience— especially since Mediterranean food is meant to be savoured.