some general discussion of tomato salads.
Mediterranean food has its own unique qualities. Compared to the rest of Europe
and North America, it has: less meat (in particular, much less red meat), more
fresh fruit and vegetables (with a greater proportion of raw vegetables), more
olives, olive oil and herbs. Tomatoes also feature very prominently in the
Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet has long been recognised as being very
healthy and is seen as the main reason that people living in the Mediterranean
have a longer live expectancy (e.g. the live expectancy in France Mediterranean is
about 3 years longer than in the rest of France).
The following recipes are from the French Mediterranean, but similar recipes would
be found elsewhere in the Mediterranean, although there are some variations (e.g.
the Greeks would typically add goats cheese to these recipes).
In much of France, recipes are more complex and their success is dependent on
careful preparation. In the French Mediterranean, recipes are often far simpler, but
depend entirely on using high quality and fresh ingredients. If you have a fully ripe
tomato that has enjoyed the hot Mediterranean sun, its taste and juices explode in
your mouth. You don't need fancy dressings or sauces to make it taste good, as the
simple raw ingredients themselves are enough. However, the reverse is also true, if
you don't have high quality ingredients, these recipes do not taste, as they are too
simple to hide any short-comings. So get the freshest and ripest ingredients you
can. If it is winter time and you can't get fresh tomatoes, you may be advised to
keep these recipes for summer time, to avoid disappointment.
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