Directed by Alexandros Merkouris • Documentary • 2023 • 26 minutes

Upcoming London cook Marianna Leivaditaki returns to her homeland in Chania, Crete, reconnecting with her family and seeking inspiration for her new menu. “People are always looking for the next best diet and the superfoods that will make them live forever. And at some point, I thought ‘I know what the healthiest food is, I grew up with it!’ That’s when I started concentrating on the cooking traditions of Crete”. Through Marianna’s journey we explore how the Mediterranean Diet was first ‘discovered’ in Crete after World War II by American scientists, who came to the island to study the dietary habits of the long-living local population. Archive films shot in Italy and Crete capture a rare glimpse into the lives of the Cretans in the 1950’s. At the same time, we see how Crete, birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet, is experiencing an epidemic of child obesity today.