Healthiest Food Choices
Chances are you have heard of the Mediterranean diet, not only for its deliciousness but also for the fact that the Mediterranean diet has long been known as one of the healthiest food choices.
The US News & World Report rating the best diets for 2021 had the Mediterranean diet top the scales as the best diet overall in the annual best diet rankings for the fourth consecutive year being described as extremely delicious, easy to follow, easy to get started, and very sustainable.
Uniquely Croatian Twist
Living in such a beautiful region as part of the Mediterranean, tourists flock to Croatia to taste, if just for a few days, the Mediterranean diet. A big part of that is enjoying the amazing fresh fare that is on offer, with its own uniquely added Croatian twist. All the way from the top north regions of Istria to down south of Dubrovnik you can find delicious, fresh, and healthy food.
Sure, you can try Mediterranean cuisine halfway across the world, and the key to your enjoyment is in the ambiance that comes along with the fare. Take your pick, anywhere you choose, whether inland or on the islands, you will find a treasure trove of specific ingredients that are still being grown and prepared using traditional methods. Along with Spain, Italy, Greece, and Morocco, the Croatian islands of Brač and Hvar are centres of protected Mediterranean cuisine, since a part of the ingredients and spices, as well as the customs surrounding the preparation of some dishes, represent a shared cultural heritage.
“Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park – enjoy the ride.” These are the words of one of the world’s most famous and beloved chefs, Anthony Bourdain, and words to live by when it comes to the Mediterranean cuisine on the Adriatic.
More Than Just Food
Take the time and you will realise that the Mediterranean Diet goes beyond being only an exceptional dietary pattern. There is an entire culture around the production, preparation, presentation, and consumption of food. The real Mediterranean diet is so much more valuable to us than just eating fresh, wholesome food. From buying or growing, to preparing and eating Mediterranean meals can vary across the region, with Peka here in Croatia to Paella in Spain.
The Mediterranean Diet involves a lifestyle, a Mediterranean dynamic cultural complexity, which includes traditions concerning agriculture, fishing and livestock, food processing, preservation, cooking techniques, food sharing, and consumption. Cooking and meals are perfect social meetings to exchange ideas and communicate with family, friends, and neighbours, to forge closer ties, in cordiality and respect.
The Mediterranean Diet has a main role in culture, being present in festivities, celebrations, and daily life, represented in crafts, in markets, as places for exchange, or inside the familiar nucleus, where techniques and recipes are transmitted.
Med Diet Declaration
The Med Diet Declaration aims to achieve greater visibility and significance of the Mediterranean diet across all sectors, such as agriculture, food production, health, culture, sport, education, economy, tourism, rural development, and sustainability.
Endorsing this declaration is an opportunity for local and regional actors to demonstrate the crucial role they can play in strengthening the economic potential of the Mediterranean diet in rapidly changing landscapes and lifestyles. This call is therefore an invitation to join the Med Diet Declaration community, a badge that highlights an active role in DEFENDING, PRESERVING, and PROMOTING the Mediterranean diet.
Med Diet Endorsers
We were thrilled to be chosen to be part of this project and work with the first Endorsers of the Med Diet Declaration here in Croatia. To meet families who for generations have been sustaining their lifestyle by promoting and living the true Mediterranean Lifestyle. In this video we introduce you to two of the Med Diet Endorsers:
MALI RAJ, BOL, ISLAND OF BRAČ
Mali Raj translated into English means little paradise. And that’s exactly what you feel as you arrive at the restaurant with it being located in a most beautiful setting just above the beach ‘Zlatni Rat’. It’s not just the setting that creates this atmosphere. The food is heavenly too, reflecting traditional Dalmatian cuisine with some of the most interesting recipes being added to the menu, with various types of tartar, carpaccio, and buzara.
RESTAURANT TRICA GARDELIN, VRBOSKA, ISLAND OF HVAR
Another island favourite is Restaurant Trica Gardelin, a family-run restaurant in the picturesque village of Vrboska. Their love of the Mediterranean diet is seen not just in their business, it weaves its way through every aspect of their lives. And their motto “from the sea to your plate” has been confirmed by us on many occasions and by many of our guests, both local and visitors to Croatia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=plmPrRoJMKU
For more information about the Med Diet Declaration – read here
For more information Travel/Lifestyle in Croatia follow TCN’s dedicated pages – Lifestyle | Travel
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