Wanderlust got you down? We understand, it’s not always easy to travel as often as you want. One of our big dreams is to visit the Mediterranean, home to many distinct cultures and cuisines teeming with seafood, fresh produce, simple preparations and innovative flavor combinations. Although we cannot travel to Greece or the Middle East at the moment, we can let our taste buds discover these different cultures from our own kitchen. Join us as we inspire you with these top recipes for your own culinary journey along the Mediterranean – we can practically taste the salty air already.

Officially, there are about 20 countries that make up the border along the Mediterranean Sea, including the western part of the Middle East, southern Europe (Greece, Spain, France, and Italy), and northern Africa ( Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria). There are also atypical countries which are sometimes included, such as Portugal, which do not actually touch the Mediterranean, as they are also largely influenced by the food trends there. All of these countries bring distinct recipes and techniques to the Mediterranean table, so you can enjoy them for just about any meal, any day of the week. Looking for easy recipes for simple weeknight dinners? Try our vegetarian Greek moussaka, our French ratatouille or our Italian risotto. Want something tasty and hearty for a healthy lunch? Discover our Mediterranean chickpea salad, our French Niçoise salad or our homemade falafels. Put any of these in homemade pita bread for a lunch you’ve been looking forward to all morning. Hosting a party and need some innovative snacks (that don’t take too much effort)? Look to Mediterranean-inspired dips, like our Middle Eastern Hummus (a classic!), Sicilian Caponata (good on everything), Greek skordalia or Levantine baba ghanoush. We’ve even included a few dessert recipes here, like our Turkish Baklava and our Sicilian Pineapple Rum Granita.

For more region-specific ideas, also check out our list of Asian and Mexican dishes.