photo by Bill Bradley
One of the common misperceptions about the Mediterranean Diet is that people eat copious amounts of pasta and bread and other grains. The truth is that these foods are more of a staple in most of the cuisines of the Mediterranean eaten with much larger amounts of vegetables. You will find grains at most meals, but people aren’t eating entire loaves of bread covered with cheese and butter or a pound of pasta with a bite of salad. No, it is quite the other way around. Vegetables are always the main part of the meal and then the grains are eaten in small amounts often dipped or cooked with extra virgin olive oil. The grains are often whole grain, but not always and there are many types of grains eaten not just pasta and bread. Paula Wolfert, one of our heroes of the Mediterranean diet has a wonderful list of some of the grains eaten throughout the Mediterranean.
Try a variety of grains cooked in different ways. There are plenty of recipes included on this site as well as links to many cookbooks that will keep your taste palate going for years.
Here are some of our favorite whole grain recipes from around the web and on our site:
Fresh Whole Wheat Sage Spaghetti with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce and Crispy Presunto
Greek Rice Pilaf with Leeks and Saffron
Italian Baked Polenta Bake with Vegetables