“The older diet is plant-based, it’s a diet of poverty, or what poverty was 50-100 years ago, which was... seasonal plant-based foods, greens, vegetables, things you’d grow in the garden. In the case of Ikaria, olive oil in copious amounts… It was never a vegan diet, that’s a myth. It was always a diet in which meat was eaten judiciously, not so much by design as by default, because people were poor and couldn’t afford to eat meat every day. So, in that regard, it is the classic Mediterranean diet of 50 or 60 years ago.”
You may be familiar with the Greek island of Ikaria through the popularity of “Blue Zones” and the idea that these regions of the world can provide insights into living longer, healthier lives. Yet as with most trends around diet and health, there is so much unspoken about the nuances of what an Ikarian lifestyle and diet entails, and the cultural relationships that Ikarians have with their food and communities.
My guest today is Diane Kochilas, who is here to share her insights on these relationships with food through her new cookbook, The Ikaria Way. Diane has been at the forefront of bringing healthy, delicious Greek and Mediterranean cuisine to a wide international audience for over 25 years. She is the host and co-executive producer of the award-winning PBS show, My Greek Table, and she runs the Glorious Greek Cooking school on her native island Ikaria. She’s released 18 cookbooks on Greek cuisine, and has consulted with American universties to bring healthy Greek foods to their dining programs.
Today, Diane unpacks what it means to live and eat in the spirit of the Ikarians, discusses the differences between food preparation and preservation in Greece compared to other Mediterranean cultures, and unpacks how the anxiety and disconnection between North Americans and their food has shaped how we think about cooking and eating, and how she navigates these perspectives through her recipes.
Learn More About Diane:
Cookbook: The Ikaria Way
Website: https://www.dianekochilas.com/