Has the real Mediterranean Diet been included in the UNESCO Human Heritage List?
March 25, 2017
Has the real Mediterranean Diet been included in the UNESCO Human Heritage List?
Posted
Recently, the Mediterranean Diet model has been included in the UNESCO Human Heritage list. But the proposed model does include neither wine nor any meat pork product. I have always consider the Mediterranean Diet as a dietary mosaic with some religion limitations that I have always respected. Even I have shared some banned foods with some other religion’s friends that considered themselves free enough to take their own decisions in religion related food issues.
A religious limitation in part of the Mediterranean Basin is not a reason to exclude wine and pork from Mediterranean Diet. The concept of Mediterranean Diet was based on the model from the Crete Island dietary pattern. The name was extended progressively to many other countries surrounding the Mediterranean Diet that have olive oil, vegetables and fish consumption as the solely link with the Spanish, Italian and Greek food habits at that time.
In Spain and some others Mediterranean countries It was a common custom that, every winter, the county people sacrificed some pigs at the farms and elaborated products for the whole year. Even this practice was extended to the small villages citizens, many of which used to grow pigs at home as an important source of food. Furthermore, wine has been always present in the Mediterranean Diet cradle. It has proved to be heart protective in small amounts.