They constitute a common basis of Mediterranean traditional/local nutritional systems, especially those of olive-growing areas.The Mediterranean basin is identified by common climatic and ecological features. Common historical experiences contributed to the formation of certain common characteristics that all traditional/local nutritional systems of the Mediterranean used to share until the middle of 20th century. The most important of these common features is the widespread use of olive oil. Nowadays, all these common features of the Mediterranean traditional/local nutritional systems, including the knowledge and the practices related with the gathering, preparation and consumption of the food, are known as the Mediterranean Diet.
The Mediterranean Diet was inscribed:
- on the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece in 2013
- on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – UNESCO in 2013 after submitting a joint file with Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Marocco and Portugal
Description of the element: The Mediterranean Diet
Short film on The Meditteranean Diet: YouTube