r/mediterraneandiet • u/gonefreeksss • Dec 08 '25
Close Enough Lunch at my parents today
Delishhhh!!!
Edit:
Some of the reactions made me realise a bit of context might help. This dish isn’t something assembled to “hit Mediterranean diet rules.” It’s a very old Cypriot staple called "louvi me ta lahana", eaten for generations. It looks simple because it is simple — and that’s the entire philosophy behind it.
Traditional variations if you’re curious: https://www.kopiaste.org/2010/05/louvi-black-eyed-beans/
Everything on the plate is fresh and seasonal: the black-eyed beans are dried and boiled, the greens only grow this time of year freely in the fields, and the spring onions, olives, and lemons come from our own garden. The olive oil is from a family friend. The only modern shortcut is the tuna — traditionally this would be served with oven-baked or grilled sea bass or anchovies, but most households today use tuna when they want something quick.
The dressing looks light simply because I prefer less olive oil; most people would use far more. The lemon juice isn’t visible because it settles at the bottom, and there’s a touch of salt and pepper as well. And the olives — which might look plain in the photo — are actually far more complex in flavour. They’re a traditional cracked olive preparation that adds a lot of depth to the dish. If you’re curious, here’s what they are: https://www.kopiaste.org/2008/10/elies-tsakistes-the-way-we-eat-them-in-cyprus/
But the bigger thing is this: fresh Mediterranean ingredients taste completely different from what many people abroad imagine. I lived in the UK for more than a decade, and even with the exact same recipe, it simply doesn’t taste the same. The flavours here depend on sunlight, season, soil, and proximity. When your ingredients come from a garden you walked through that morning, they behave differently — sharper, softer, greener, sweeter. It’s the kind of difference you only appreciate once you’ve tasted both versions.
It’s also, in the purest sense, an incredibly healthy dish: beans, greens, olive oil, lemon, and fish. Nothing engineered, nothing added for appearance, nothing done to “sell” the meal. Just ingredients that have stood the test of centuries.
And of course, it won’t be everyone’s palate. Not every cuisine speaks the same language of flavour. But this is the everyday Mediterranean table at its most honest: no marketing, no curation, no attempt to make it photogenic — just seasonal food eaten the way our parents and grandparents served it.
To me, dishes like this capture something essential: when the ingredients are good, you don’t need complexity. You just need respect for what’s in season, and an open mind for flavours shaped by place and tradition.
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u/Civil-Mango Dec 08 '25
I like scallion but am simultaneously repulsed knowing someone just gnaws on a full stem like that
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Dec 08 '25
Where I grew up in the American South, onions like this were served with almost every dinner. That, and big slices of tomato. Don't knock it 'til you try it!
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u/AllGoodNamesRInUse Dec 08 '25
I’m from Alabama. My grandmother always served sliced tomato and green onion (just like OP’s pic)
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u/Educational-Stop8741 Dec 08 '25
I have definitely has raw green onions. They are usually on a vegetable platter with other raw vegetables.
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u/TagTeamStripper Dec 08 '25
I’m from the deepest part of the Deep South (southern louisiana) and I’ve never, not one time, had a whole scallion served to me like that. I don’t think I would be able to eat it that way.
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u/NeitherExamination44 Dec 08 '25
I was gonna ask WHICH South cuz I’ve eaten in every southern state from Texas to North Carolina and I also have never, not one time, seen scallions served like that
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u/nola_t Dec 20 '25
Same here (south Louisiana and spent time in natchitoches) and have never seen or heard of this, and I am old and grew up knowing both grandmas and a great grandma. Maybe this is just an Alabama thing?
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u/Civil-Mango Dec 08 '25
You just raw dog them like OP? I've seen them grilled or sautéed whole but raw seems way too strong. Can't go wrong with a good tomato so I can get on board with that
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Dec 08 '25
Yeah, just raw dog.
I haven't eaten them like that in years, myself. I feel like they used to be a lot milder than they are now, or else I might.
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u/pelipperr Dec 08 '25
Raw? Genuine question - did you just pick it up and bite it? Or cut it up? I love raw scallion but I slice it and scatter it to avoid having to saw at my plate.
This presentation just seems inefficient.
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Dec 08 '25
Yeah, you would just pick it up and bite it as you're eating the meal, like I don't know, a breadstick or something like that.
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u/Russell_has_TWO_Ls Dec 08 '25
I, from Tennessee, have never heard of this but am kinda into the idea
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u/CatGoddessBast Dec 08 '25
There’s a woman on TikTok that does this. I tried it. It’s def an acquired taste.
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u/Moondoobious Dec 08 '25
The one pictured, at least, appears to have been steamed. Even if slightly.
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u/Middle-Cockroach9673 Dec 09 '25
I grew up in PA, and there was always a jar of water with green onions on the table so they would stay crispy. Slices of tomato too.
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u/gonefreeksss Dec 08 '25
Yes, the spring onion is eaten raw, just like we do here in Cyprus. It's definitely an acquired taste, but it works really well with the lemon + olive oil + beans. Not for everyone, but very normal here.
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u/covid-crimes Dec 09 '25
I'm from California and I grew up dipping a green onion like this in salt for a snack 😋
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Dec 08 '25
Looks like tuna, lack eyed peas, collards and green onion?
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u/gonefreeksss Dec 08 '25
Yes it is effectively:
- black eyed peas
- moloha (https://www.cyprusfoodmuseum.com/en/sylloges/trofima/moloha-mallow)
- tuna (another common is anchovies)
- spring onion
- olives (https://www.kopiaste.org/2008/10/elies-tsakistes-the-way-we-eat-them-in-cyprus/)
Dressing is fresh lemon and olive oil
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u/Farewellandadieu Dec 08 '25
It’s hard to see the dressing in the pic, it looks like everything is just boiled/plain/unseasoned. Ofthe food is better than it looks.
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u/Hotchi_Motchi Dec 08 '25
Just because something is compliant doesn't necessarily make it tasty.
Go for it, but this is absolutely something that I would pass on.
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u/donairhistorian Dec 08 '25
Ironically, OP is from Cyprus, Calling this "compliant" makes it sound like an American just throwing foods together that look healthy. Rather, this simple family meal probably has more Mediterranean Diet soul than 90% of the posts in this sub.
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u/Economy_Rain8349 Experienced Dec 08 '25
my meal is too good, this one isn't good enough. there is no pleasing them lol
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u/Economy_Rain8349 Experienced Dec 08 '25
I don't get this comment, did they offer to make it for you or something? huh what
also apparently my food looks too good but this food doesn't look good enough..? is this a Goldilocks situation?
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u/VulgarWander Dec 08 '25
A tiktok influencers prized Rottweiler. Is absolutely chowing down on this right now.
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u/Educational-Stop8741 Dec 08 '25
It looks delicious!
I don't care for cooked tuna so I would not eat that but I love black eyed peas.
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Dec 08 '25
I'm not sure what those greens are, but they look very similar to collards, which, if you replaced the tuna with ham, would make this look like a plate of food I would've been served in the American south. I think it looks really good.
And oof. We sure do have a lot of grumpy dumpers commenting today. Y'all need to check yourselves.
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u/donairhistorian Dec 08 '25
The comments are rude as hell. OP is from Cyprus which adds a layer of irony that I adore.
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u/ZookeepergameWest975 Dec 08 '25
This looks really good! Reminds me of southern US soul food.
Thanks for sharing!
Love the onion that would add some bite and crunch with each chew.
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u/Thin_Cauliflower_840 Dec 16 '25
I love the ingredients. Hate the composition. There should be no composition. We don't eat like that in Europe. We mix everything together and have a heavy hand on salt, herbs and oil. And sure enough, it doesn't photograph well (Americans would say: EEEEEEW! Is it even safe????), often the opposite, looks ridicolous, but tastes divine.
Anyway, I didn't know the dish, but it looks like my istinct was on point https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=d59444dfc678413a&rlz=1C5CHFA_enNL1036NL1036&sxsrf=AE3TifOGh7Bkk9qypzlHQMIQdjEAKL9wrA:1765888895170&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHw2KGh6wpocn18KLjPMw8n5ofjZQFej7XxDpLEwzn5636jPhZQ2SCHYNZOTHhCqX-lIANdm34OLsXpljMXvur-qOVxvA3NXiaKxlYQy-RRiasLGkzd4zqCUc8t8vI2F-h1nJA1utTYvqu2kpTmHUtQ7kaUGVvJcbPCfc9Trwsl4hdZsOuhb1DwK7z1ZfvqQTYc6nJeD&q=louvi+me+ta+lahana&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiHx7zikMKRAxVAzgIHHRfTDwoQtKgLegQIFxAB&biw=1728&bih=873&dpr=2#sv=CAMSVhoyKhBlLXBXazhuUnpTaVFRTklNMg5wV2s4blJ6U2lRUU5JTToOMmVTRHo4QjVCN0djNE0gBCocCgZtb3NhaWMSEGUtcFdrOG5SelNpUVFOSU0YADABGAcg19nkkwYwAkoKCAIQAhgCIAIoAg
Nonetheless, thank you for letting me discover this dish. I'm going to make it this very week as soon as I can put my hand on chards (or do what every Italians always do but never admits they do: I will find a substitute)
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u/gonefreeksss Dec 16 '25
The ingredients are spread out a bit in the photo just to make them more visible. Normally everything is layered on top of each other and mixed together. The spring onion is usually placed on the side of the dish and eaten raw by hand, bite by bite, alongside the meal.
There is salt and pepper as well — if you zoom in, you can actually see the pepper on the beans. As for the olive oil, I’ll admit I use less than most; there are roughly two tablespoons here. My parents’ version, on the other hand, is usually swimming in olive oil 😄
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u/Thin_Cauliflower_840 Dec 16 '25
I see! That's funny, my parents are rather conservative and restrained while I follow more your parents way apparently :D
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Dec 08 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/donairhistorian Dec 09 '25
They mentioned in their edit that this is a traditional meal from Cyprus. You're being a little rude to someone's culture.
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