Mediterranean Food

They can be spiral, flat or pipe shaped. But these hoary tidbits have charmed our little
ones right after they were introduced in India. The wiggly shapes hit the menu list of
most of the children parties today as it’s unwaveringly assures the satisfaction of the
appetite of the little party animals. Yes! It’s Pasta we are talking about here. And not only
the kids, a sumptuous plate of penne or fettuccini tickle the palate of even the hardest
of the abstemious among us. This Italian delicacy heralded the whole host of other
Mediterranean cuisine in India.

With the success of pasta, opened the whole vista of Mediterranean cuisine in our
country. Today its repertoire is as rich and variegated as the history of the countries
fringing the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the hits are- Chicken & Farfalle with Creamy
Walnut Sauce, Fish Couscous with Onion T'faya, Grilled Tofu with a Mediterranean
Chopped Salad, Greek Fava with Grilled Squid,Herbed Lamb Chops with Greek
Couscous Salad, Hunter's Chicken Stew, Kumquat Tagine, Mediterranean Fish
Fillets,Seafood Couscous Paella, Shrimp Saganaki, Spiced Turkey with Avocado-
Grapefruit Relish, Turkish-Style Pizza.

Bordering about 20 countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, France,
Turkey, and Istanbul etc, the Mediterranean waters wash the shores of three continents-
Europe, Asia, and Africa. All these countries cuisines vary yet they all have common
characteristics that make the regions’ food popular worldwide. The Mediterranean world
is defined by the sea that lies at its heart and the consequence of this is a cuisine that
makes full use of its abundant fish and shellfish.

Chef Saby of Olive Bar and Restaurant in New Delhi, a place famous for Mediterranean
foods, believes that the biggest reason for the diversity is the geographical features of
the Mediterranean Countries. “The Mediterranean Sea, as we all know passes through
18 – 20 countries and almost all of them have varied climatic conditions. The climate
in Morocco is hotter because of its proximity to Sahara Dessert rather than Spain or
Portugal which have relatively cooler climate. Similarly the soil of all these countries
is different from each other. The volcanic soil of Greece is chalky where as the soil of
Turkey is rich and full of minerals. Therefore the quality of produce is very different in
these countries,”enunciates the master chef.

The Mediterranean diet is as diverse and varied as the languages and countries that
surround the Mediterranean Sea. Pradip Rozario, who runs three restaurants in Kolkata,
of which one, Mio Amore, serves only Mediterranean cuisine, seems to be dazed by the
diversity of the region and its cuisine. “The nations on the shores of the brilliant azure
Mediterranean Sea—Italy, Spain, France, Morocco, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
and Israel—have all contributed something special to the colorful, vibrant tapestry that
is Mediterranean cuisine. And I am always fascinated by this cuisine. Significantly, this
cuisine is made of heart-healthy olive oil, protein-rich legumes, fish and whole grains
with moderate amounts of wine and red meat. The flavors are rich, but they are less prone
to high blood pressure, high cholesterol or obesity. I’m sure the connoisseur of good

foods in the city would just lap it up, more so because people are becoming increasingly
health conscious by the day,” deliberates Rozario. He gives an interesting explanation
about the basic nature of the cuisines of the five major Mediterranean countries which
include Lebanon, Greece, Morocco, Turkey and Italy:

Lebanon

Lebanon share Arabic tradition in cooking. Spiced lamb stew is an Egyptian recipe
served with dumplings or rice. Menu includes several Arabic specialties, of which the
most famous is cous-cous, steamed crusted millet or other ceral served with a stew of
lamb or chicken.

Greek

Greece has fascinating and distinctive cuisine. It is closer to Italy than other eastern
Mediterranean countries and this is reflected in dishes like Artichokes with eggs and
sauce using parmesan cheese. But there are plenty of dishes that definitely belong
to Greece and will be found in virtually every home or restaurant one enters. Potato
omelettes, for example, are served everywhere- in fact, it is often easier to get an omellete
with potatoes than without. A dish which is so popular that it might be consider as a
national dish is moussaka, a lamb casserole with cheese topping. Souvlaki are small
kebabs of herbed meat sold as snacks at Souvlaki stalls; a more sophisticated variation
on these is Arni souvla, marinated kebabs of lamb and courgettes which are ideal for a
summer barbecue. Needless to say fish is excellent in Greece. An original method of
cooking fish is to bake it in paper; this not only seal in the flavour but makes washing up
much easier.

Turkish

Turkish cooking has close affinities with the Greek and two countries both claim to have
originated several famous dishes. However, no-one will dispute the fact that kebabs are
a Turkish invention, usually with lamb and such Mediterranean vegetables as tomatoes,
onion, green peppers or aubergines. Rice is used in many dishes, often with diced meat
and vegetables in a pilaff ; we have included a recipe for Sayadiah, a fish and rice dish.

Moroccan:

Morocco offers a totally deferent cuisine, primarily Arabic but with a strong French and
Spanish influence. With its Mediterranean climate and conditions, Morocco produces
Olives, almonds, citrus fruit and various cereals. Lamb and chicken are the most common
meats, made into kebabs or cooked in tagine, a type of meat and vegetables stew.
Typically Mediterranean is the Moroccans fondness for sweet pastries made with very
thin pastry and various filling, like the recipe we have included for Almond crescents.

Italian

Most Italians begin their meal with a pasta dish which we would often consider
substantial enough for a main course. Spaghetti is only one of the innumerable types
of Italian pasta, from the tubular or rolled cannelloni to narrow tagliatelle noodles.
Wide lasagna noodles and stuffed pasta in all different shapes and size are also very
popular. For the main course you could choose fish, usually grilled or fried and served
with a sauce as in fish and spinach cream and grilled fish and cheese. Beef is popular
but expensive and steak with tomato sauce is an excellent Neapolitan specialty for
entertaining. Veal, on the hand, is comparatively inexpensive and eaten a great being an
original and delicious way of preparing it.

Bangalore’s Fava has created ripples in the town with its mouth watering Mediterranean
delicacies. Abhijit Saha the ace chef of Fava says, “Like the states of India, the
Mediterranean country in spite of being contiguous maintains strong individual tradition
and culture which is reflected in their cuisine.” Dividing the Mediterranean region into
three parts namely Southern Europe, Northern Africa and West Asia, Saha said “Though
each has its own distinction, West Asia seems to have a confluence of Europe and
Asia while the North Africal part is influenced by Asia and Europe. Use of spices also
distinguishes the cuisine. Saffron and Cummins are the most popular spices in North
African cuisine while South European dishes have dried lime as a staple spice and West
Asian cuisines are conspicuous with the presence of zatar (a spice made from a berry).”

The popularity of Mediterranean food in India is beyond question today. One of the
reasons behind this, according to Shaun Kenworth, a celebrated chef from Kolkata, “is
the similarity between Indian and Mediterranean food. Many of the Indian dishes
have a Mediterranean counterpart. What we have here as ‘begun bharta’ can be found
as ‘babaganouj’ in there. Similar is the case with cucumber raita which finds its acronym
in ‘Tziki’. Even the fast foods are quite familiar. What is called ‘butitos hara’ in the
Mediterranean cuisine is actually our ‘alu chat’ and falafel very close to Rajasthani
pakoras.” Chef Saby has a different point to uphold as the reason behind the success of
Mediterranean food in India. “One of the primary reasons for this is that people in India
are now very well traveled as they were a few years ago. This has given them a far better
understanding about the cuisine of the Mediterranean. Secondly the movement of the
Western world has increased towards India, because of the fact that India’s economy is
becoming stronger. So with the increase in trade and commerce between both the sides
has resulted in easy availability of the raw ingredients used in this cuisine,” asserts Saby.

However, although pastas and pizzas have been absolute favorites from a long time, lot
of things have changed now a day. The Tapas from Spain are doing the rounds of the
major restaurants of India and have already become quite a favorite among the gourmets.
Also the staples from these countries like olives, capers, durum wheat, artichokes
etc. have made their way to Indian plates. And as any other cuisines of the world,
Mediterranean cuisine too boasts of some lip smacking desserts. So nest time you opt for
a Mediterranean meal, binge yourself over a plate of ‘Tiramisu- A sticky sweet dish.’