Exoticism Unwrapped is an exploration of the concept of exoticism while working through the lenses of representation of different cultures through food. Using cooking as our medium, we explored the origins of the Mediterranean diet—a diet used to encourage heart health-- and upon uncovering it misrepresents the actual diet of the Mediterranean, chose to create a meal that both follows some of the key parts of the “Mediterranean diet” while also sharing a meal that is found in a wider amount of places. Sarma, our dish, which features rice, onions, and meat wrapped in grape leaves and seasoned with allspice, is found all over the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and comes in a lot of different forms. The dish also follows the Mediterranean Diet’s general rules of being low in red meat and high in other fats, with a healthy balance of grains and vegetables.