how peasants ate

After the fun this weekend, a serious topic to ponder: Last week I read a NYTimes article (one of my 25 for the month) entitled, "Does the Mediterannean Diet even exist?" It posed an interesting question. The Mediterranean Diet, as we know it today, equates one that is rich in olive oil, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, fish and wine. However,  many of those from the Mediterranean region--Lebanese, Greek, Italian--have never completely eaten this way. Hm... unfortunate but interesting.

The "Latin American Diet" (most commonly, Mexican) is almost often touted as unhealthy. Yet if this is so, how did I put together such a fiesta of a salad? Sure there were a bunch of ingredients, but it was the the delectable black bean & corn burger, quinoa, and diced avocado that stole the show.

There's diets based on Chinese and Indian food too; Both of which can be, and often have been, made to be anything but good for us. Then again, when serving myself a plate of pan-seared bok choy, home-crafted mushroom & cabbage gyozas (or pot stickers) and a little green Bollywood burger, I can't imagine why.

The healthy versions of these diets do have one other thing in common: they are what the Italians called “cucina povera,” the “food of the poor.” In Ancel Keys’s day, Mediterraneans ate lentils instead of meat because they had no choice. “A lot of it is to do with poverty, not geography,” says Sami Zubaida, a leading scholar on food and culture.

So, maybe we should strive for "A Peasant Diet." Although... it should also be noted that the economic factor no longer stands true as the price of fresh produce has risen so dramatically in the last century, thereby making seasonality key (a blessing in disguise?). It's a mouthful of an issue, I know. Just something to think about. At the very least, it's good to know that I'm covering most of the nutritional bases with my farmers market budget meal of a plain omelette, baked sweet potato, and sautéed garlic green beans.