Monounsaturated fat: Keeps HDL "good" cholesterol levels up and "bad" cholesterol levels down. Reduce the risk of cardivascular diseases and diabetes.
		Poliunsaturated fat: reduces HDL "good" and LDL "bad" cholesterol levels. Oxidies quickly. Breaks down into potentially toxic substances at high temperature.
		Saturated fat: increases LDL "bad" cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

In these days, many scientists actively endorse the benefits of the Mediterranean cuisines. To this day further studies continue to show a distinct correlation between the foods eaten by the people living in the Mediterranean region and a pattern of lower incidence of coronary heart disease, as well as other diseases.







Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

	Today's olive cultivation zone
	Origin of olive cultivation zone

Olive oil has known to human beings for about 8000 years.From the beginning in 5000 B.C. until 1400 B.C., olive cultivation spread from Crete to Syria, Palestine, and Israel; commercial networking and application of new knowledge then brought it to Southern Turkey, Cyprus, and Egypt. In the 6th century B.C. the first olive oil extraction mill excavated in the Aegean region.

Historical discoveries show that the motherland of the olive tree is Anatolia. In the course of history, it spread first to the Mediterranean Region and then to other continents.
The origin of the word " zeytin" (Turkish for olive) provides clues about the story of the olive tree. The Arabic words "ez-zeyt" and "zeytoun" derive from the Hebrew root zeyt". Furthermore, there is the word "zeirtim" the language of the Akkadians who lived in Anatolia.
Later we find these same words in Spanish as
"acetia". The "elaia" of ancient Greek becomes
the word "olea" and "olium" in Latin, finally taking
the form of "olive" in English.

As well as being the cradle of civilization, the Mediterranean basin is the source of many of the world's great cuisines. Meal time is the most important "event, occasion" on a day in the life of people in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries cuisine's are delicious and healthy, and influenced as much by geography and climate as by ethnicity.