30 December 2023 , 15:52
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The world's longest-living siblings all hail the delicious soup recipe that has helped them live a long and prosperous life.
The Melis siblings, who were named as the world's oldest siblings in 2012 by the Guinness World Records committee claimed their secret is all down to a simple bowl of nourishing soup - a diet staple to the family.
The nine siblings, who had a combined age of 818 years at the time, hailed the dish Sardinia Minestrone and claimed it helped them all to achieve long lives. The oldest sister Consolata Melis celebrated her 105th birthday not long after breaking the record, while her youngest sister Mafalda was 78.
The siblings all claimed the soup is the secret to a long life (Bluezones)Sardinia Minestrone is known to be a staple in the diets of many long-lived families in Sardinia, an Italian island where inhabitants are known for living long, healthy lives. This very special soup can be made using seasonal vegetables, ideally picked fresh from the garden, and will always include plenty of beans and fregula, a type of Sardinian pasta made from semolina dough.
Speaking with The Guardian at the time of their staggering achievement, Alfonso Melis, then 89, said: "We eat genuine food, meaning lots of minestrone and little meat and we are always working. [...] Every free moment I have I am down at my vineyard or at the allotment where I grow beans, aubergines, peppers, and potatoes." His older sister Claudia, then 99, agreed: "You just keep working and you eat minestrone, beans, and potatoes."
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Diet is believed to be one of the key reasons why so many people in Sardinia live to celebrate their 100th birthday, with Sardinians typically enjoying plenty of fresh seasonal greens, beans, fruit, and whole grains. Although we cannot all up sticks and live out the Sardinian lifestyle, we can incorporate some of this way of life into our weekly meal planning.
A recipe published on the Blue Zones website is said to serve eight to 10 people, meaning you'll likely have enough to feed your family with leftovers. The recipe description reads as follows: "A bountiful dish that is eaten every day for lunch by some of the world's longest-lived families in Sardinia, Italy. It can be made with seasonal vegetables from the garden, but always includes beans and fregula, a toasted pebble-size semolina pasta that is popular in Sardina." To whip up a batch for yourself, check out the full recipe here