In the early 1950s scientists became aware of the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet on health, after a survey carried out in Italy and in Greece that showed for the first time the relationship between diet and one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The main characteristic of the Mediterranean diet is its low lipid and unsaturated fatty acid content, essentially related to the consumption of olive oil. It is also based on the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and cereals. This work, addressed to a wide public of professionals working in the field of food -- scientists, physicians, dieticians, public health and prevention policy decision-makers, researchers in agrofood industry -- summarises in detail the basic principles of this simple and balanced diet. This work, co-ordinated by a team of researchers and physicians from the Montpellier agricultural science research centre (Agropolis), broadens the nutrition field and also includes the agricultural production mode and the technologies used in the agrofood industry. It offers an original multidisciplinary approach and proposes a complete synthesis on a fascinating subject for all and sundry.