Mediterranean cuisine as "conditioned naturally by variations in climate and soil and the relative industry or indolence of the inhabitants." David identifies "the ever recurring elements" in the food of this extensive region as olive oil, saffron, garlic, "pungent" local wines, as well as the "aromatic perfume" of herbs, especially rosemary, wild marjoram, and basil, and the bright colours of fresh foods in the markets, "pimentos, aubergines, tomatoes, olives, melons, figs" and "shiny fish, silver, vermilion, or tiger-striped". She includes cheeses of "sheep's or goat's milk", "figs from Smyrna on long strings" and "sheets of apricot paste which is dissolved in water
Aptenia cordifolia adjacent to wild lands. Its flowers tend to have a more reddish color (unlike the authentic "A. cordifolia" in which they are magenta-purple) and leaves which are less heart-shaped and brighter green in color. Native to southern Africa, this species has become widely known as an ornamental plant. Today, however, it can be found in many warmer, mainly coastal areas planted or wild (including the Mediterranean region, the Canary Islands, California and Australia). The frost-intolerant plant needs a sunny spot and well drained soil. This is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in flat clumps on the ground from a woody