The Mediterranean diet is very popular now because it represents the lifestyle we have lost

The promise of a long, hearty, elated life, living an busy, community-based lifestyle under balmy, radiant skies may be within reach. In fact, it could be on your table.

The Mediterranean diet has been included on the UNESCO list On the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010.Not only does the diet have guaranteed cultural value, but it is also a powerful strategic tool for promoting food products such as olive oil.

Often cited for its health benefitsThe Mediterranean diet was first described in 1953. book about creteAt the time, people were amazed at the low rate of cardiovascular disease among the inhabitants of this Greek island compared to the inhabitants of Northern Europe.

A diet based on olive oil helps, among other things: eating fresh foods, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. It embodies the essence of the Mediterranean way of life, as defined by UNESCO:

The Mediterranean diet includes a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions relating to cultivation, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, preservation, processing, cooking and, in particular, sharing and consuming food. Eating together is the basis of cultural identity and the continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is a moment of social exchange and communication, the confirmation and renewal of the identity of the family, group or community.

But beyond its impact on our health, what does the Mediterranean diet say about us as a society? Could it be a symptom of something?

As a postdoctoral researcher at the École des sciences de la gestion at UQAM, my research focuses on issues of cultural heritage and tourism, food, and mental health.

In 2021 I completed field research in Cilento (Italy), Soria (Spain) and Marseille (France), where I observed the adherence of the inhabitants to the Mediterranean diet. I listened to their stories and tried to understand the local and social dynamics in the context of the concept of the Mediterranean diet.

Reflection of a deep social crisis

The concept of the Mediterranean diet refers to a lifestyle that strengthens social relationships and is good for health. It sounds straightforward and coherent.

However, the society we live in turns the work of meeting these basic needs into something more convoluted. health and social dimension The Mediterranean diet is considered extremely desirable because it provides a balance that is lacking in globalized societies.

Claude Fischlera sociologist dealing with human nutrition, describes the multidimensional crisis of the food system in contemporary societies.

In his opinion, there is psychopathology of everyday nutrition in progress. It is characterized by “eating disorders, bulimia attacks, anxious or compulsive snacking, etc.” Just think of the consumption of ultra-processed foods or ready-made and frozen meals, eaten alone in front of the TV in the evening or in front of the computer during a lunch break.

In this psychopathological perspective of food, which also reflects the social crisis, the mechanisms of cultural (and in this case food) reactivation appear. The drive towards the Mediterranean diet is a reflection of this social crisis because it is the opposite of our way of life.

Thanks to its inclusion on the UNESCO List, the Mediterranean diet has become a prestigious “monument” of Mediterranean culinary art.

This culinary culture has been mythologized and has become part of our heritage after the transition irreversible erosion process food production and consumption systems in the Mediterranean region.

“Gastronativism”: Politics on a Plate

The culinary sphere is one of the best places to express the anxieties and concerns about newfangled life.

Fabio Parasecolifood researcher describes the concerns about globalization as gastronomy“the ideological exploit of food in politics to promote ideas about who belongs to a given community (however defined) and who does not.”

Gastronativism is therefore a political tool that provides a “sense of rootedness, comfort, and security” in the face of perceived decline (climate change, wars, pandemics, globalization).

The Mediterranean diet fits into this gastronomy approach, representing an acceptable lifestyle.

The different meanings of the Mediterranean diet

We often hear about the Mediterranean diet from institutions and scientists. What we don’t hear much about is the views of the communities that practice this way of life.

My 2021 fieldwork aimed to understand the different ways in which the Mediterranean diet is defined, described, understood, and implemented depending on the community.

In Cilento, the Mediterranean diet is synonymous with “lifestyle.” It is part of the local identity and a reference to a wider socio-cultural sphere (“our way of life,” the locals say).

In Soria, it embodies the “nutritional model” and in the health field: the adjectives most often used to describe it are “hearty”, “beneficial” and “health-conscious”.

In Marseille, the term “diet” conjures up images of fasting, renunciation and abstinence, while the term “Mediterranean” refers to organic, seasonal and hearty food. Here, the reference is more to the food industry.

Socio-cultural seismograph

Whether we understand it as a nutritional model, a lifestyle or an example of conceptual heritage, the Mediterranean diet is a way out of a system (social, food, economic, environmental) in crisis and constantly searching for points of reference.

Seismographs are devices that record and measure earthquakes.. Like a “sociocultural seismograph,” the Mediterranean diet allows us to capture the vibrations, i.e. the changes occurring in contemporary society that cultural (and dietary) practices must address.