Mediterranean Fruits

All the fruits listed below, the carob, fig, olive and pomegranate, are considered Mediterranean fruits which have been considered to be around since the ‘early times’ making them traditional. Mediterranean countries are well known for these fruits and included very well into the Mediterranean Diet. There are many other fruits that are included into the diet and encouraged to be eaten regularly. Citrus fruits are great to indulge in as well. Today we have a recipe which features the Kiwi. Kiwi is a fruit that the diet brags for. The kiwi contains lots of Vitamin C just like other citrus fruits founds in the Mediterranean diet, even more so than the orange does. Antioxidants, high fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, you name it and the Kiwi have it. Check out the kiwi recipe below, but first let’s get into some of the other traditional Mediterranean fruits out there.

Because of the way the carob looks it wouldn’t necessarily be considered a fruit but because of its sweet taste we can make an exception. The carob has been around Greece, Italy, Morocco and Spain; the Mediterranean region is where the carob has grown by the form of a tree. Everyone has heard of the ‘fig Newton bar’ but other than that most people don’t really talk about the fig. The fig has been distributed widely around the Mediterranean area, they are fat-free and cholesterol free which is a major bonus. They are high in fiber and surprisingly have the highest overall mineral content of all common fruits. Now the pomegranate was cultivated (‘in Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, Spain, and Morocco’) and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. Other fruit variations that are considered Mediterranean include the olive (which we have discussed previously), mandarin, persimmon, pistachio, cactus pear and the loquat. If you want more information about these fruit crops and its history check out this website for extensive info: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-416.html.

Fresh Kiwi Aperitif

(Copyright 2006, Maria Liberati, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking)

1/4 cup spring water or distilled water

3 tblsps sugar

Pinch of powdered ginger

3 kiwi peeled and cut in quarters

2 tablespoons crushed ice

Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

Place in saucepan- water, sugar, ginger. When mix comes to a boil, remove and let cool.

Place peeled, kiwi, ice , lemon juice, and cooled syrup in blender. Blend for 2 minutes.

Serve immediately over crushed ice.