A man from Soria is considered the father of the Mediterranean diet, whose International Day is celebrated on November 13th. In 1535, a gentleman from Soria happened to arrive in the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was based. The architect of the steps to improve communications in the Americas, and the later predecessor of the Panama Canal, was a gentleman from Soria. Same for all three milestones. The gentleman from Soria was Fray Tomás de Berlanga (Berlanga de Duero, Soria, 1487 – 1551, supra), a religious figure of the Renaissance at a time when the Renaissance did not even appear in the cultural calendar of the time. Born in Berlanga de Duero (Soria, now population 830), this Dominican friar went to the New World, eventually becoming bishop of Panama, and a tireless thinker. With his innovations in gardens, he promoted a diverse gastronomy and was eventually considered the patron of the Mediterranean diet, which in 2010 was declared an Intangible Heritage of Humanity, including Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco.
The gastronomic legacy of Fray Tomás de Berlanga, which today is based on a few keys written in stone on the table of healthy eating, distinguishing the Mediterranean kitchen from the kitchen of the barbarians of the north, was lacking in recognition at the time. Consume plenty of plant-based foods including olive oil, legumes and seasonal vegetables and fruits, consume bread and cereals regularly, stick to fresh foods, reduce dairy intake and red meat intake. Today they are virtually obvious, but if they achieved this status it was due to the impulse of the Dominicans, inspired by their stay in America and their research and gardening activities, to spread their teachings to their congregations. Ignacio Jauregui-Rovera, a researcher at the Institute of Behavioral Sciences at Seville’s Pablo de Olavide University, explores the character of this versatile monk in an article titled: Galapagos Islands, Evolution, Panama Canal, Mediterranean Diet: Fray Tomás de Berlanga.
This analysis reminds us of Tomás Martínez, or perhaps Enriquez, as it is not clear, but with a second surname of Gómez. The man from Soriano is remembered today in his town, where he rests in eternal rest with statues of a turtle and a crocodile placed at his feet, a reminder of his exotic adventures. Another evocation has been discovered in the Collegiate Church of Santa María del Mercado de Berlanga de Duero. There this great man is buried in the form of a Saurian. This lizard, known as the Berlanga lizard, is about 4 meters long. Legend has it that after returning from America, good old Thomas decided to bring a live crocodile to show in Castile as evidence of his expedition. When the beast died, it was stuffed and hung on one of the walls of the temple so that no one would suspect the priest’s journey.
For the religious training of this historical figure, he was taken from Berlanga to El Burgo de Osma, also in Soria, before jumping into the Dominican monastery of Salamanca, where he eventually joined the crew to the New World, where he served as protector of the natives. Thomas went to sea in 1510 to be elected just before the Dominican convent of Santo Domingo. They then appointed him vice-provincial of the order of Mexico, and at the same time Pope Clement VII, through the intermediary of Emperor Charles I, appointed him Bishop of Panama. His adventures led to a collision with Francisco Pizarro, who led him to Lima, where he was unable to prevent currents and accurately charted his voyage, causing him to sink on March 10, 1535, in the unexplored islands of the Galapagos Islands. Just 300 years later, Charles Darwin landed on those islands, noticed the differences in the beaks of birds of the same species, and understood that they evolved in response to and adapted to their environments. The monks also anticipated the later Panama Canal (renovation of which began in 1903) by creating a proposal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and vice versa, as the two were only a few kilometers apart.
Soriano’s gastronomic side was developed after he immigrated to the United States. He brought to Santo Domingo the modern Canary Island banana, which is much smaller than the Central American banana, but at the same time he discovered the beauty and flavor of tomatoes there and was the first foreigner to begin planting them in large numbers to match the capacity of the time. They then brought back to their homeland seeds and plants of tomatoes, which are of great value in Europe today, along with parsley and potatoes. Similarly, important European knowledge and technology was introduced into American territory to optimize local agriculture. The exchange of products and knowledge between these regions, and how they were ingrained in their respective gastronomic cultures, led him to be considered the father or patron of the famous Mediterranean diet, which took from both worlds and originated in Soria.
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