Although Mediterranean cuisine isn’t governed by a single culture, it is very much the product of cultural influence and exchange. The world’s earliest civilizations bordered the Mediterranean Sea, their development bolstered by the rich soil and temperate climate that made agricultural production thrive. As the point of intersection between Asia, Europe, and Africa, with major civilizations located in each area, the Mediterranean was geographically destined to become a major trading hub. Traders exchanged cultural commodities like spices and other food goods, resulting in the wide dissemination of certain ingredients throughout the cuisines of these disparate peoples. It was through this form of cultural interaction that certain fundamental elements of Mediterranean cuisine became popular throughout the region.