The FastDay Forum

lol. Wonder what they'll think of Cadbury creme eggs!! A new species of bird discovered from the 20th century - I'd have me some of those hens in my garden

And I would happily visit you and your garden!!!

Also, the average Greek probably eats more than 100 grams of feta daily, most of the people I know eat more than that and I ate more than that when I wasn't dieting so I'm guessing it's enough protein.

whereas the diet preached at us is based on a daily cheese consumption of less than 1/5th that.

I like feta, but it does contain as much saturated fat as protein and that would be enough to give Ancel Keys a heart attack.

By a low protein diet I'm thinking it's about 10% - with 60% from carbs and 30% from oils (traded off with a bit of alcohol perhaps).

Phil, the feta I eat is made of sheep's milk and it's around 3% fat. I know that the feta that reaches other parts of the world is the typical one with perhaps 30-40% of fat but the one we eat everyday has far less than that.
And yes, in some parts of the Med perhaps they eat less cheese but in others they eat more.
You see, sometimes a study from a clinic in the US might not be as accurate as those who live in the area of the study...

BTW, I would very much to know why you condemn a diet based on the excuse that it is a peasants' diet. It is not, but I am just wondering what is wrong with what peasants eat if they are fit and healthy...

Well I am actually seeking out a peasant style med influence to plan for my other 5 days
I never have been a big protein eater so am happy to give meat a back seat & find variety of sources
TML13 I like goats cheese and it has a distinctive taste, is sheep feta as strong a taste?

I thought one of the characteristics of a Med diet was the use of plenty of Olive Oil, which is a healthy fat, along with a lot of vegetables and fruits and nuts. I know the South Beach diet author referred to a lot of studies regarding that being a healthy diet, but now not so much because Greece has been somewhat Westernized and have adopted some of our bad eating habits of bad carbs.

Not sure how true it is but that is what I remembered

Spurtle (is that your kitty?), the reason why there's cured meat and fish in the Greek diet is the long winters in half of Greece. Fish is either smoked or kept in salt and meat is air-cured. Veggies are also pickled.

Yep, that is him when I first got him. He liked my wicker laundry basket - still does, but these days he takes up a lot more space.

FWIW, my parents were peasants from Dalmatia (in Croatia). I know all about cured meats and dried/salted fish to get through winter and also extensive use of dried grains and pulses. There was no rice or pasta where my parents came from, starch was provided by potatoes or cornmeal, which is interesting, because they had wheat and made bread but obviously never thought to turn it into noodles.

As for me, as I have gotten older, my diet has veered more towards the peasant based diet of my forebears. I am a very seasonal eater. It is late Autumn here and I am heavily into the brassicas, particularly cabbage and brussel sprouts. Instead of bacon I use the traditional dried and salted speck my parents knew back in the "old country" - you need far less of it to add flavour to any dish than you do with modern day bacon. As the weather gets colder, stews and casseroles based on dried beans/barley/lentils will form the majority of my meals. I Love a decent steak or roast, but in reality probably cook a meat based meal maybe once a month.

Hi spurtle
Cute cat you have there. Where can you get speck from asks a fellow Aussie looking for more traditional ways to eat

Given you are in the Shoalhaven, it could be a little trickier for you. In Sydney, I found that hunting down a Slavic deli was the way to go. There is one in Westfield Liverpool and there was one in Ashfield Plaza as part of a butcher. There is a company based in Leppington that produces the stuff, but unfortunately I don't know the name. German butchers/delis also have it but the German version is not as dry as the Slavic version and so doesn't keep as well. A 1kg piece of this stuff lasts me at least 6 months.

Fortunately, I have access to the Queen Victoria markets in Melbourne, so have no problem sourcing it.

The cat was disgustingly cute as a kitten and consequently got away with murder. He still does, come to think of it, only these days he has a much more regal demeanour (although he still has his cute moments)

Oh spurtle cats do try to run the show my Toby is being exceptionally bossy of late.
Back to speck exactly what is it made of and how do you use it?

Omelettes with sausages, pies with cheese, pies with herbs and veggies, flat breads with hams... most of them fried, all looked delicious.

OMG - YUM!!

I probably shouldn't be reading this on a fast day...

Sorry d_c just trying to establish a traditional Mediterranean diet for freedom days

Oh spurtle cats do try to run the show my Toby is being exceptionally bossy of late.
Back to speck exactly what is it made of and how do you use it?

It's basically the streaky end of bacon, so made from belly pork I would guess. It is usually salted and smoked or dried. The Slavic version, is heavily salted, lightly smoked and then left to dry.

You actually don't need to cook it to eat it coz it is a preserved meat and I often snack on small pieces of it. I use it just like I would normal bacon. In cooking, you only need one thin slice to impart a really good flavor. I also eat it with eggs, just as you would middle rasher bacon, but it is saltier and a little tougher than normal bacon, so one slice is plenty and you only lightly fry it to basically heat it through and melt the fat a little. Oh yes, you need a very sharp knife to slice it, particularly as it gets older and dries out a bit.

You can use big chunks of it in bean stew and split pea soup (although I prefer smoked hock for my pea soups).

This is what it looks like (I have just sliced that piece to have with my brussel sprouts and taters):

Gillymary, it is not as strong as goat's cheese but it is more strong than plain feta. It is more crumbly and less creamy when you put it in food but it is very interesting in salads.

Guitar, you are 100% correct! When I was growing up, there were no overweight or obese people around. If you saw one, you knew it was from a health problem! Now, things have changed and Greeks have westernised their nutrition which led them straight to weight issues! Thank God for my parents, I've learnt to eat the traditional way and I still follow this diet.
BTW, 5-meals a day was quite the norm when I was growing up. "Snack" is not a naughty word but a word the means "fruit" or "small toastie" or "homemade healthy sweet". And we had dessert of some kind every day!!!

Spurtle, I love your kitty (got a black one meself) and I love speck!!!

Sophie, yes, I know!!! That documentary had me drooling all over the place!

I didn't even know that speck was similar to bacon, LOL!!! I've only had it in a sandwich and I was too busy scoffing it that it didn't occur to me to look at it.