Summer table traditions we want to steal from the Med

As summer is finally knocking on our doors, we’re tantalisingly close to the trips we've been waiting all year for. Though, isn’t there also a wholesome joy in the warm days spent on home territory, with friends, food, and family? For many of us, it's just a few short weeks a year where we can enjoy outdoor dining and feel as though we’re on holiday in our own backyards. So, rather than pining after the Mediterranean all season long, let’s bring the Mediterranean to us.

The southern Europeans know how to turn a relaxed Sunday lunch into something sacred and a balmy evening meal into something truly elevated. This doesn’t come from shining silverware and the most expensive bottles of wine laid out. Rather, it derives from understanding how to generate an atmosphere through deliciously dragged-out afternoons, endless courses, and not letting a single shred of food go to waste. Let’s bring some of these traditions to our own tables; let’s steal the rituals which they’ve honed, and which will also turn our summer meals into lasting memories.

Sobremesa
This is one of Spain’s most sacred moments of the day, which can only materialise in the presence of company, a table, and the remnants of a great meal. ‘Sobremesa’ is an untranslatable term which literally means ‘over the table.’ It’s the period of time after the food has been eaten but before everyone gets up to continue with their day. The food is gone save for a couple of nibbles to pick at, and the wine continues to flow along with the conversation. If done well, the sobremesa will stretch on for hours and no one is in any hurry to break the spell.

The Steal: Resist any urge to clear the table immediately - a telling signal that you are kicking your guests out. Instead, bask in the remnants of the banquet. Leave the crumbs and the crumpled napkins. Get up only to grab more bottles of wine or, if you want to go really Mediterranean, an array of digestivi.

Carafes of Wine
In rustic trattorias and taverns around the Med, as well as around family tables, everyday wine is often served in simple glass pitchers, clay carafes, or a quartino (a small quarter-litre jug). This is usually the sign that you’re drinking a local wine, which is not about finery but more about conviviality in a relaxed setting. The wine must be easy and drinkable, complementing the food and heightening the atmosphere. The good stuff can be saved for another occasion.

The Steal: Pour your wine into mismatched vintage decanters or simple terracotta pitchers. It changes the whole psychology of the table; the wine becomes a humble accompaniment, and gloriously free-flowing.

La Scarpetta
An all-year-round tradition, ‘fare la scarpetta’ is the official term Italians use to wipe every morsel from their plate. Literally translated as ‘making a little shoe,’ you tear a piece of bread (which is never missing at any meal) to mop up the remaining sauce, oil, or juices left on your plate. Other cultures may consider this impolite table manners, but in Italy, it’s a sign of the deepest compliments to the cook. What is more, it fosters a habit of appreciation and an understanding that nothing should go to waste.

The Steal: To embrace the beauty of this rustic dining tradition, source a large, artisanal, unsliced loaf of bread. Place it on the table with a serrated knife (no individual bread plates are needed) and encourage guests to cut their own slices - measured with the heart and the stomach- and let them wipe their plates clean.

Double Dessert
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that after any meal, no matter how big or small, there is always room for dessert. In Italy, they know how to keep the joys coming and so, before the truly decadent sweet treats emerge (usually bite-sized pastries from the local shop), fruit will always be served first. This isn’t your average lunchbox banana but rather, a cornucopia of the freshest produce in season. You choose from peaches, figs, watermelon, apricots, or whatever else they’ve picked up from their greengrocer ‘di fiducia’ (of trust). This additional course acts as a palate cleanser, a burst of freshness, and a boost of fibre to aid with digestion.

The Steal: Go to your farmer’s market and find whichever fruits are currently in season. Assemble them together and serve them after your savoury meal is complete and before the indulgent finale arrives.

Ice Bowls
In the height of summer, what’s more refreshing than crisp, juicy fruits that are in their prime season, bought from the local market or, even better, plucked from the nearest trees? When the savoury courses of a long lunch are over, platters of fruit often appear around the table. To keep them aggressively chilled in the baking sun, they are laid on mounds of ice cubes, a presentation that looks as beautiful as it is functional. This practice allows the meal to drag on for longer without causing the ripe peaches, crunchy cherries, juicy grapes, and succulent melons to wilt under the sun.

The Steal: Go to your local flea market and source some beautiful metal or ceramic platters to fill with ice. This elevates the presentation element of what is undoubtedly the easiest, most refreshing dessert to serve to your guests.

The Meze
Rather than subscribing to a rigid three-course meal structure, Greek dining favours a fluid arrangement. A continuous flow of small, shareable plates emerges from the kitchen. Food comes out as it’s ready, meaning there’s always a new delight to look forward to and drool over together. This keeps the energy high with anticipation for whatever is next. With the table landscape constantly shifting, no one knows - or wants to know - when the meal officially ends.

The Steal: Prep a vast menu of easy, room-temperature dishes and drop the pressure of timing a hot course to perfection. Summer is a time to graze; let people do it entirely at their own pace.