A more nutritious and sustainable future
The Mediterranean diet is a territorial diet that has its roots entrenched in the history of the Mediterranean Sea and its region that has been for centuries a meeting point and melting pot for different cultures and civilization; each conferring some of its specificities to the evolving diet of the region. The traditional Mediterranean diet was originally defined as a diet with high consumption of whole cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and olive oil, a low to mild consumption of dairy products and a low consumption of meat and poultry.
The Mediterranean diet, however, is more than a list of foods. In 2010, not only because of its nutritional attributes but also because of it being a way of life that encompasses “a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions from landscape to table, including crops, harvesting, fishing, conservation, processing, preparation and, in particular, food consumption.”
Why do we mark this observance?
Evidence increasingly shows that the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower environmental pressures and impacts compared with other diets. Based on short supply circuits and local, seasonal food production, it supports biodiversity, local economies, smallholders and family farmers, and sustainable agriculture, while fostering social cohesion in the region.
Despite its growing popularity worldwide, adherence to the Mediterranean diet is declining in the Mediterranean region itself, especially among youth — a trend attributed to urbanization, the globalization of agricultural markets, the development of mass food culture and changing family structures, with the resulting rupture of traditional ways of transmitting culinary knowledge.
Recognizing the importance of the Mediterranean diet to local communities, economies, micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, smallholders and family farmers, and sustainable agriculture, while fostering social cohesion in the Mediterranean region, the General Assembly adopted the designating 16 November as the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet.
Explore Mediterranean cooking
The Mediterranean diet is best discovered in the kitchen. Recipes from the Food and Agriculture Organization, collected from cooks and chefs around the world, can help you put its principles into practice — cooking with pulses, whole grains, fish, seasonal vegetables and olive oil.
- - popular fish recipes from dozens of countries, including a journey along the Mediterranean, from seabass in Italy to anchovy pilaf in Türkiye.
- - This part guide, part cookbook demonstrates the versatility of pulses, a pillar of the Mediterranean diet, for nutrition, health and biodiversity.
- - The recipes selected for this book were collected through the Global Chefs’ Challenge, which called on chefs and hobby cooks to explore cooking with millets.
Did you know?
- Noncommunicable diseases (mostly cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes) killed at least 43 million people in 2021.
- In 2022, . Adopting the Mediterranean diet's principles — seasonal, local and minimally processed foods, traditional preservation techniques and shared meals — is also a practical recipe for cutting food loss and waste.
- The Mediterranean diet is recognized by FAO as on soil, water and energy use than other dietary patterns, with positive potential for climate mitigation — an example of a diet that protects both human health and the planet.
