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Some home cooks pay little attention to this part of the shopping list. They forget that mushrooms are a gourmet treat, as our Roman ancestors already knew. Legumes have been a staple food in the Mediterranean basin for many centuries, and aromatic herbs bring excellence to most recipes. A short recap. In the first part of this Mediterranean diet foods guide I showcase different kinds of olive oil, pasta, rice and grains so that you know which one to buy for your recipes. In the second part of this Mediterranean food shopping guidelines I feature vegetables and fruits, and make suggestions for buying the best and freshest. Let's go on to the third part. Legumes or pulsesDried beans, chickpeas, lentils and the like are high nutritious Mediterranean diet foods with a long tradition: hummus or falafel are only two of the many recipes you can prepare with legumes. Legumes keep a long time, which was -and still is in some Mediterranean regions- priceless in warm countries. However, keep in mind that older legumes are harder to cook than fresher. Legumes are a modest Mediterranean food, thus, it's very important to buy the best quality. This shouldn't be a problem because they are inexpensive. Legumes are an essential Mediterranean diet food, because they provide plant-food proteins, especially when eaten with rice. However, some people, and nowadays even some Mediterranean children, don't like eating them very much. So, if you buy the cheapest beans or chick peas, it's more difficult to cook them properly, prepare tasty dishes, and convince your little guests to eat these healthy Mediterranean diet foods. My advice is that, unless you have a local provider you know, you buy the best, organic, or the more expensive dried legumes you have available where you live. In this case the price is generally a good indication of quality. Although dried legumes are easy to cook, many home cooks shy away from cooking them because they require a soaking time of hours. The only thing you have to do is remember to put your chick peas or beans in water in the evening and forget about them until next morning. It's a matter of organizing yourself. Dry legumes that you cook yourself at home are many times tastier and healthier than cooked canned legumes that have been processed and contain chemical preserves. There is nothing wrong with buying canned beans now and then, but if you consume them as a rule, it defeats the purpose of the healthy Mediterranean diet. An exception to this rule are traditional stores of artisan cooked legumes, cooked organic legumes in glass jars from health food stores, or the cooked legumes sold in some gourmet food stores. Generally, they are more expensive.
Mushrooms Aromatic herbs and spices Fish and seafoods Meat and cured meats Poultry and eggs Cheese and dairy products Nuts and honey Related popular pages featuring Mediterranean diet foodsMediterranean food guide, part 1 
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