Timeline of a Mediterranean daily diet

The ancient Mediterranean normal day in the south of Spain started with a 6.00 o’clock breakfast containing essentially peasant bread and olive oil (with a little bit of salt or even sugar). To drink, black coffee or coffee whitened with goat milk.  About 10.30, people use to have a snack consisting of fruit (generally grapes), bread and cheese. Have you ever tried the delicious sensation of eating grapes and cheese at the same time? Don’t miss it!

For lunch, from 2 to 3 o’clock, peasants use to stay at the farm, as the way home was long. There they made an Andalusian gazpacho with tomato, garlic, bread, water and any vegetable they could arrange as cucumber, onion, green pepper, etc.  They normally take from home a couple of salty herring, that they ate with the gazpacho. The herrings help to restore the salt lost sweating during all the morning. Physical activity was high.

At winter, they use to have a “potaje” generally made of chickpeas or lentils, and chorizo (Spanish sausage with red pepper), morcilla (blood sausage), bacon and meat . Many days, the potage was vegetarian as there was not much money for the meat products. In special days, they used to kill a home bred chicken or a rabbit. (It was a luxury). It was very common having fish in many ways, specially a lot of different types of fish soups. Three o four mackerels, tomato, onion, green pepper, garlic , olive oil and potato was the base of a simple soup called “en blanco”.

Another food to take away was dried figs. It is a very energetic product.

Afternoon daily diet

At six o’clock children use to eat a “joyo” (hoyo=hole or pit), a piece of coarse bread with a crater in it full of olive oil, sugar or salt. In Spanish, the letter “h” does not sound but in the south of Spain, it is aspired, like in “home”.

For dinner, fried potatoes with fried green peppers, or boiled vegetables. It the hens had yielded any eggs, they had a fried egg per person (If there was only one, it was for the father, as he had to work hard the following day.

Today the habits has changed. People who follow the Mediterranean Diet, still have bread and olive oil for breakfast, but with fruits and natural fruit juices. Many people eat abroad but you can find Mediterranean Diet restaurant where they try to imitate the home Mediterranean Food. You can find many other types of restaurants, of course, but this is your choice. This is the present Mediterranean daily diet,

In three to five stars hotel you normally get a Mediterranean Buffet for breakfast.

People who want to lose weight, follow the Mediterranean diet weight loss plan

We do not recommend following a low calorie diet without medical advice. For example,  the 1500 cal diet. Every person is different!

See video about Seafood Buffet: