For many Americans, the challenge is eating a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans, especially in the equivalent amounts of what was consumed in parts of the Mediterranean in the 1960's. Epidemiological data reflects that Americans would have to triple their intake of fruits and vegetables to reach the amounts consumed in parts of the Mediterranean during the 1960's. The answer lies in the quality of the food. Vegetables and fruits taste their best when their flavors and colors mature naturally with the seasons. The beauty and flavors of the Mediterranean market basket has already motivated many of us to include more seasonal fruits and vegetables into our daily meals.
Good food begins with quality ingredients.
Local, fresh, and seasonal products are essential to this cuisine as are the steps to capture flavor and the balanced use of seasonings. Cooking with bitter greens, such as those in found in chard, kale, broccoli rabe, and other greens is a traditional dish of the Mediterranean cuisine. Many of these greens are braised, incorporated into pies, and combined with various pastas. Yet, one must admit that when prepared properly, there is no bitter flavor, just a mellow hint of the greens characteristic flavors. Bitter flavors, which are characteristic of the phytochemicals from the flavonoid family, can be masked without being removed.