The ancient Mediterranean diet turned out to be quite different from the modern one

For the ancient inhabitants of the Mediterranean, bread was not merely an accompaniment to the main course. Often, it formed the basis of the meal.

The Greeks even had a separate word for foods eaten alongside bread or other cereal-based dishes. Olive oil and wine also provided a significant proportion of calories, but it was cereals that remained the central staple.

By the end of antiquity, wheat had become particularly important. Historians describe cereals as the most important component of the diet at that time.

Details

The seriousness with which bread was regarded can be gauged from the works of the famous Roman physician Galen, who lived in the 2nd–3rd centuries AD.

In his treatise on the properties of food, he analysed grain in detail, along with methods of processing it and the various types of bread. For Galen, practically everything mattered: how well the grain was ground, whether the flour was sifted, how the dough was kneaded, whether sourdough was used, and at what temperature the bread was baked. Modern studies of his works show that he developed a whole system for evaluating bread and its effects on the body.

Well-prepared wheat bread was considered particularly valuable. Bread with a high bran content was rated lower, although it was believed to have a different effect on digestion.

People in antiquity were well acquainted with lettuce, cabbage, onions, pumpkins, figs, grapes, apples, pears and pomegranates.

However, attitudes towards plant-based foods differed markedly from those of today. Certain plants were valued primarily for their supposed medicinal properties, rather than because vegetables were regarded as the foundation of a ‘healthy diet’.

Furthermore, a diet rich in plant-based foods did not always represent a conscious choice. For poor families, the availability of a foodstuff could be far more important than any notions of its health benefits.

In the modern image of Mediterranean cuisine, pulses are sometimes overshadowed by fish and fresh vegetables. In ancient times, they were far more important.

People ate lentils, chickpeas, lupins and other pulses. They kept well, were filling and could supplement a diet based on grains.

It was precisely this combination of bread, porridge and pulses that was far more commonplace for many people than expensive fish dishes.

Fish was indeed much loved in the ancient Mediterranean. Numerous descriptions of fish dishes, seafood and sauces have survived.

However, the proximity of the sea did not mean that fresh fish was available to everyone on a daily basis. The price depended on the type of fish, the town and the distance to the fishing grounds. Historical sources show that seafood could be either a common local food or an expensive delicacy.

Therefore, the image of an ancient Roman dining daily on fresh fish with a vegetable salad and a small amount of oil is more likely to reflect a modern conception of Mediterranean cuisine.

Some ancient dishes bear little resemblance to modern recommendations for a healthy diet.

The Greek writer Athenaeus, for example, recorded a recipe by the Sicilian chef Mitek: the fish was to be cleaned, chopped, and then mixed with cheese and oil.

Thus, even the familiar combination of fish and olive oil could have been considerably heavier than today’s plate of lightly cooked fish and vegetables.

This is, perhaps, the main limitation of any comparisons.

The Mediterranean is vast, and antiquity spans many centuries. The diet of a farmer, a poor city dweller, a wealthy Roman and a resident of a prosperous coastal region could differ greatly.

Diet was influenced by the season, the harvest, trade, local traditions and family income. Even in ancient texts, there are descriptions of regions where food was exceptionally cheap and varied, and of cities where good fish cost a fortune.

It is therefore more accurate to speak not of a single ‘ancient Mediterranean diet’, but of a multitude of diets united by the prominent role of cereals.

Does this mean that the modern Mediterranean diet is a myth?

No. The modern Mediterranean diet is not an attempt to literally replicate the menus of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

It is a modern dietary model that places particular emphasis on plant-based foods, pulses, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and moderate consumption of fish and other foods.

It is therefore only natural that it differs from the ancient diet. The modern approach has adopted certain features of the region’s traditional diet, rather than preserving the menu from two thousand years ago unchanged.

Why this is important

History shows just how easily modern perceptions of cuisine are projected onto the distant past.

The very word ‘Mediterranean’ creates a sense of unbroken tradition, even though people’s diets changed in tandem with the economy, agriculture, trade and the availability of food.

For many inhabitants of the ancient Mediterranean, the main priority was to obtain enough food. And in this sense, a much more accurate symbol of their daily diet was not a piece of fried fish with vegetables, but bread.

Source

This article from The Conversation is based on an analysis of ancient written sources, including the works of the physician Galen, Emperor Julian and the writer Athenaeus, as well as modern research into nutrition in the Greco-Roman world.

Main ancient source: Galen. On the Properties of Foodstuffs.

Modern reference source: Oxford Classical Dictionary, ‘Food and Drink’ section.