As one of the major aspects of the health-conscious
Mediterranean Diet movement, will Greek-based culinary tourism prove to be the
savior of Greece’s ailing tourism industry?
By: Ringo Bones
Contrary to popular belief, Greek cuisine – unlike its Greek
diaspora run American equivalent – is not just a Mediterranean “culinary orgy”
of meat and saturated fats. The authentic Greek version of the famed
health-conscious Mediterranean Diet is a very star contrast to its American
cousin and is largely composed of locally grown garden fresh vegetables
prepared in a traditional manner that dates back before the great Greek
philosophers wrote their various treatises to enrich Western Civilization. This
makes such Greek culinary tradition a “keeper of the faith” of the recent
slow-food revolution and due to its healthiness and culinary significance, the
Greek aspect of the Mediterranean Diet and slow-food revolution even won it a
declaration by UNESCO the “intangible heritage” classification.
At the moment, tourists are veering away from Greece as a
primary destination which is sad because at present Greece could use every form
of economic stimulus that it badly needs to solve the country’s rather
herculean debt crisis. Scared of by the still relatively strong euro, most
budget-conscious tourists rather opt for Greek-like travel destinations in the
Mediterranean not yet on the euro. Given that Greece is more than just
Classical Greek era ruins, promotion of the healthier aspect of the Greek
cuisine could surely boost tourist arrivals. But will efforts to promote the
health benefits of traditional Greek cuisine as part of the burgeoning
slow-foods revolution bring in the much needed tourism revenue back to Greece? Only
time will tell.
