The Perfect Meal – The Secrets of the Mediterranean Diet
Alexandros Merkouris / Greece / 2023 / 72 min
A food-loving and scientific tribute to the Mediterranean diet and, not least, the liquid gold: olive oil.
You are what you eat. And in Mediterranean countries like Greece and Crete, the menu has mostly consisted of seasonal vegetables, grains, fruits, a little red meat and, of course, olive oil – lots of it! The poor man’s diet proved to be so healthy that in the 1960s, men in Crete had up to 90% lower risk of heart attack than their American peers. But that is no longer the case. Cheap American junk food has replaced vegetables and lifestyle diseases have followed suit. With well-chosen case studies, ‘The Perfect Meal’ follows scientists, chefs and dieticians across Europe who have researched the original Mediterranean diet and can prove, among other things, that olive oil is practically liquid gold. If you are not convinced by the science, the film’s trump card is the infectious joy of food that bubbles out of the beautifully composed images of fresh vegetables, lush olive tree fields and gastronomic magic.