An overview of a few popular Mediterranean foods

As you visit your favorite Mediterranean restaurants, you probably notice a few key items that repeatedly make their way onto menus, and even the names of the restaurants themselves. Does “hummus” ring a bell? Here we’ll cover some key foods in the Mediterranean diet, their nutritional benefits, and ideas for how to add them to your diets. 

Teach Me About Tahini

Tahini (ta-hee-nee), is a creamy paste that is made of one key ingredient: sesame seeds. To make tahini, sesame seeds are toasted, hulled and then ground up into a thick paste. In some ways, tahini can be considered “sesame seed butter,” similar to peanut butter, an American staple.  Ingredients like olive oil and lemon juice are often added to the tahini paste to add flavor and make it thinner, so that it is easier to mix or drizzle over dishes. 

Tahini is a versatile food that is used on its own – as a condiment or a dressing, like on sandwiches and salads, and is also used as a main ingredient for other mediterranean foods, like hummus. 

Nutrition Benefits of Tahini

Tahini is a simple food that is mostly made up of ground sesame seeds, which are rich in nutrition. Sesame seeds provide a great combination of various nutrients to help you stay energized and satisfied including protein, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. 

Adding tahini to your bowl or wrap is a great way to make your meal more flavorful and nutritious. Try our traditional tahini to start, or if you’re feeling bold, choose our roasted red pepper tahini. 

How About Hummus

Hummus (hoo-moos, or hum-muss), our namesake, is one of the most popular Mediterranean dishes that can be found on many restaurant menus and in grocery stores. Similar to tahini, hummus is a simple dish that is made of one main ingredient: chickpeas. Hummus is a chickpea paste that is made by blending together cooked chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and other spices of choice. The ratios of each ingredient and the mix of spices are what gives each hummus dish its own unique spin. 

Hummus is often eaten as a dip, like with pita or fresh vegetables, but there are many ways to get creative with this delicious dish. Spreading it on a sandwich, using it as a base for cooked chicken or beef and as a topping to a salad are also great ways to add more nutrition and flavor to your meals. 

Nutrition Benefits of Hummus

Hummus, and more specifically chickpeas, is an excellent food choice for vegetarians as it is a great source of protein and other important nutrients. Beyond protein, chickpeas are also high in fiber, folate, and iron, nutrients that many Americans do not get enough of in their diets. 

At Hummus Republic, we’ve gotten creative with our hummus dishes and offer four different types to maximize your options when adding this excellent source of nutrition to your dish.

Let’s Talk About Tzatziki

Tzatziki (tza-tzi-ki) is a yogurt-based sauce that is traditionally made from a thick yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and fresh herbs like dill or mint. While the yogurt provides a tang, the cucumber and fresh herbs make tzatziki cool and refreshing. It can be served as a side dish, as a sauce for entrees and sandwiches, or as a dip. 

Nutrition Benefits of Tzatziki

Yogurt, the main ingredient in tzatziki, is loaded with nutrients like protein, calcium and probiotics. While the protein can lead tzatziki to leave you satisfied from your meal, the calcium supports strong bones and the probiotics help with digestion. 

Using tzatziki as a sauce in wraps, as a substitute for salad dressing, or as a dip for falafel are all ideas for how to simply and quickly freshen up dishes. 

While there are many popular and common foods in Mediterranean diets, these are some that you are likely to see most often. If you’re already a fan of these, now you can indulge while knowing more about them. If you haven’t yet given these a try, mix things up by adding one or two to your next order!

Resources: 

• U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2022). FoodData Central: Sesame Seeds. 
• National Institute of Health. (2021). Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.

USA Pulses. Nutritious Resources.