Histoire de l'alimentation méditerranéenne

Before the Christian era, Greece was the birthplace of the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by an alimentary triad based on the consumption of bread, wine and olive products but also by the culture of sharing and the joy of commensalism. This dietary model was adopted by the Romans who disseminated it throughout the Empire before a long period of waning over several centuries. At the end of the Second World War, the virtues of the Mediterranean diets were rediscovered following epidemiological surveys supervised by two American scientists, Leland Allbaugh and Ancel Keys. Both demonstrated the existence of a strong relationship between dietary patterns and death rates from coronary heart disease. At present, the so-called Mediterranean diet is promoted as a new public health reference since it appears as a well-balanced model for providing a high monounsaturated/saturated fat ratio and a large coverage of all nutritional needs. The alimentary pyramid is probably the most appropriate illustration that can be used for depicting this model aimed both at combating early deleterious cardiovascular outcomes and at prolonging the life expectancy.