4 Foundational Mediterranean Essentials You Should Always Have In Your Kitchen

Mediterranean cooking hinges on wholesome ingredients. For that reason, embarking on an eating journey with this diet often starts with some key swaps or additions to your pantry. We were able to chat with Suzy Karadsheh, founder and chef at The Mediterranean Dish, where she shares recipes and more to make this popular diet accessible, and she shared her must-have items with us.

We knew this one was coming, right? Olive oil is a key pillar of Mediterranean cooking and eating. While your local supermarket likely has tons of EVOO options, it's important to be selective about your olive oil to make sure you're getting a bottle with benefits.

Vegetables are an essential Mediterranean diet macronutrient, as are grains and legumes. “Really we rely a lot on these vegetarian or meatless items in eating the Mediterranean way," Karadsheh explains. "These are such affordable and easy items.

But the specifics? "We use a lot of farro, rice, quinoa, couscous—these are things that don't expire quickly and I always have in my pantry," shares Karadsheh. "We also eat a lot of beans and legumes: chickpeas, white beans, kidney beans, all sorts of lentils—we cook with those almost weekly." And don't shy away from the canned varieties—they're perfectly fine by her book, too.

While the food pyramid of the Mediterranean diet may lean heavily on plant-based options, it does also include some meats (especially seafood)—which makes sense, since the diet is named for the region immediately surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately, prioritizing consciously sourced fish can be difficult, which is why Karadsheh will sometimes return to that frozen aisle.

Yes, yes, this is technically two groups—but they go hand in hand. This is a section that may take a bit of time to stock up on, but once you've got them, dried herbs and spices will last a few months.

Focusing on all-natural spices is important and prioritizing ones that can add something more than just flavor: "[I love] spices that have some healing qualities, and also infuse your food with flavor," she says. "We use a lot of sumac, coriander, cumin, turmeric, aleppo, za'atar."

When it comes to fresh herbs, she recommends oregano, parsley, and basil as staples: "These fresh herbs allow you to infuse flavor and use less salt," she adds—and they're herbs you could easily try growing yourself, too.