“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” Already two thousand five hundred years ago Hippocrates, father of medicine, called for a correct diet, for the beneficial effects that derive from it on health. A maxim, now more than ever, in step with the times. Because in times of Covid we have understood that it is important to talk about balanced nutrition to allow our body to strengthen the immune system, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). If we associate one with it healthy lifestyle, we will have a better chance of guaranteeing a long and harmonious life. To tell the truth, even before becoming acquainted with the specter of the pandemic, what has been called the was based on these principles Cilento method, the subject of studies since the 60s and brought into vogue by ancel e Margaret Keys.
He had no scientific studies in 1811 Murat, recently appointed King of Naples when, on a visit to Cilento, from the viewpoint of San Costabile in the medieval village of Castellabate, he uttered the phrase: "You don't die here".
He was absolutely not wrong. She had already guessed that in those places, with good food and healthy eating habits, she lived more and better. This expression anticipated the studies of the Keys spouses in the following century, the two American biologists who in the 60s discovered the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and identified its link with longevity. All this by studying the lifestyle of the Cilento people, very different and far from the American one. The first thing they noticed, in holiday in Pioppi, was the very low rate of subjects with heart problems. They were so fascinated by the place that they soon decided to move there.
They understood that eating lots of seasonal fruit and vegetables, legumes dressed with extra virgin olive oil, oily fish, a little meat, all accompanied by a glass of good wine with a meal, was certainly one of the best ways to live longer. If then a healthy lifestyle was associated with nutrition, based on walking, on living the community according to the rhythms of life according to nature, then life was even better. In practice, what we now call the Cilento Method was fully implemented.
Certainly in 2019 their theories found practical confirmation in census from which at least 300 centenarians out of 90000 inhabitants emerged. Record-breaking result for sure.
But what are the specificities of this territory? An ancient land rich in history, a vast area south of Salerno, between endless kilometers of coast and hills covered with olive trees and chestnut trees, Cilento is also an advocate of the "I cook I cook“: behavioral attitude that is lost over time.
When you arrive in Cilento all the stresses, the daily rush, disappear. You are immediately drawn into the simple and relaxed way of life of the locals. A land rich in popular wisdom and traditional peasant recipes is framed in a territorial scenario that has not been distorted by the concrete hand of man.
Movement
La walk it is one of the fundamental characteristics of the Cilento Method. Walking is a habit favored by the location of the various Cilento villages. Between the sea and small hills it is a pleasure to walk in these places. We immediately regenerate physically and mentally thanks to the movement.
The walk is conducted without difficulty, like what a personal trainer would recommend, with a moderate pace. Even better when you walk in company and you also allow yourself the right time for breaks marked for example by pausing to converse with the locals, always friendly and available for the warmth of human relationships. So here is explained theI cook I cook".
We are all aware that walking is good for you. It lowers the cholesterol level, prevents obesity and hypertension. Did you know that movement reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by more than 50%? A 2020 study carried out on middle-aged women found it an increase in mortality of 52% of women who lead a sedentary life compared to women who do regular physical activity. A double percentage due to cardiovascular pathologies. But the women of Cilento have been applying this for centuries without knowing it, because while the men are working in the fields it is up to them to fetch water, wood for the fire, go to the fields to look for spices and vegetables, go to the wash houses for the laundry.
But how far do you have to walk? Twenty minutes of walking a day at least five times a week is enough. But Cilento women spend well over 20 minutes away from home.
Rest
Work, family, commitments lead us to always run after time for fear of not being able to do everything in the hours available during the day. Our life is full of post-its hanging everywhere: from the fridge to the PC to the front door. Our devices are chock full of scheduling tools, memos, active reminders which, while on the one hand help us a lot in remembering appointments and things to do, on the other they harm our psychophysical well-being.
Modern life sees us always running around with a huge ominous clock running after us. But the wisdom of the elderly in Cilento is to still keep the watch in their pocket, as in the past: never on the wrist, demonstrating how time must not overwhelm us.
Be part of a community
Being part of a community is one of the peculiarities of the Cilento Method. Every Cilentan lives the community to the fullest by actively participating in all the activities of the town: from the feasts of the patron saint to weddings and funerals. Everyone participates spontaneously from an early age and they do it with pleasure to keep popular traditions alive and active.
The Sunday lunch ritual it is another must for every Cilento. Sunday lunch is prepared in the houses every Sunday. First of all, the ragù is prepared and cooked, indeed "puppite", obligatorily for hours and hours on a low flame respecting, also in this case, the "I cook I cook“. In the streets of the town echoes a crossroads of sauces cooked with mixed chunks of meat in which the Cilentan fusilli made underwire will almost certainly be dipped. Sunday lunch is the moment of greatest meeting of families. A break of family unity to be granted being united with grandparents and grandchildren enjoying at least one pastarella at the end of lunch.
Sunday lunch is the invitation to unite at the hearth, which follows the Sunday midday mass, another cornerstone of the Cilento Method: spirituality.
Spirituality
Participation in liturgical rites is a constant throughout life. Participating in rites, demonstrations, processions, parties is equivalent to feeling a unique part of the community. In Vallo della Lucania the feast of San Pantaleone is celebrated on 27 July. A celebration that unites not only the Valais community, but all the surrounding villages. A party that you can't miss for anything in the world! Every town has its own patronal feast and everyone participates with joy. Actively participating in community life nourishes the psychophysical well-being of the Cilento people and keeps the traditions of the past alive.
In conclusion, the I cook I cook is much more - as we have seen - than a pure dialectal idiomatic expression, it is something that reflects on the philosophy of life, on behaviors, on eating habits, on social life. It is a microcosm that has been preserved over time as a heritage of a community jealous of its traditions.
And the grandmothers and grandfathers a source of popular wisdom, capable of dispensing secrets of healthy living according to nature, are often witnesses and custodians of it.
