THE HISTORY OF GREEK OLIVE OIL
The olive trees have been grown in Greece since antiquity. Greek olive oil is the product of olives and for the ancient Greeks, the olive tree represented, among other things, peace and the eternal link between man and Earth. The Greeks appreciated this tree so much, that they used to award the winners of the Ancient Olympics with an olive wreath. Archaeological excavations in many areas have shown that Greek olive oil was used extensively in the ancient times and not only as food. Homer calls it; “the golden liquid,” and according to ancient texts it was used in cleanliness, perfume making, cosmetic care, tanneries, lighting, as food preservative, and in medicine. Hippocrates, the renowned doctor of antiquity, used virgin olive oil to treat his patients.
Modern research has shown that Greek olive oil has beneficial effects on our health. Its constant consumption protects against various heart and stomach diseases and is easily absorbed from the body. According to surveys, Greece is the country with the highest human consumption of olive oil in the world. Greeks love olive oil, which forms the basis of their daily diet and the Mediterranean diet.
But let’s learn a bit about its history!
History of Greek Olive Oil
The cultivation of olive trees and Greek olive oil production has been perfected over centuries. There have been found wild olive tree leaf fossils that date back more than 20 million years. However, their cultivation and production of virgin olive oil in Greece is estimated to have begun about 3500 years BC., from archaeological discoveries of tools around the area. In fact, the most ancient olive oil tree in Greece can be found in Crete and it dates back to approximately 3000 to 5000 years, making it one of the oldest trees on Earth today.
The Greek olive tree, known scientifically as Olea europaea, has a wide and deep root system which gave it the ability to survive in arid conditions for months throughout the years. There was a massive trade of olive oil between the Greeks and ancient Phoenician merchants. In ancient Greece, they used stone weights, hung from wooden beams, to crush the olives and form the olive pulp. It was then kneaded and poured from stone bases into special containers for the separation of virgin olive oil from water.
Additionally, the Greek olive tree tolerated high levels of salt in groundwater, therefore it could grow in places near the sea where other trees and plants usually couldn’t. Thus, this made Greece the third largest olive oil producer in the world, as well as, making Greek olive oil so popular!
Greek Olive Oil Today
The Greek olive tree has the most extensive cultivation and production in the country. Greece produces about 400,000 tones of virgin olive oil per year. Cultivation conditions and olive oil production methods have not changed much over time. Pruning may happen with modern equipment from early spring to winter.
Olives, which are the fruits of olive trees, are harvested during fall, either with the traditional method by hand and tree shaking, or by technological equipment. After their harvest, the olives are transferred to the oil press, same as ancient people did thousands of years ago, to grind the fruits and extract the pulp, which was then kneaded to extract the olive oil. Of course, modern equipment helps with that nowadays. Good Greek olive oil requires kneading of the pulp in cold room temperatures. Today, 80% of Greek production is of excellent quality and can be consumed immediately without any further processing.
Greek olive oil is a natural product, full of flavor, pleasant aroma and many nutritional properties. It is used in salads, usually combined with lemon or vinegar. Two spoons is all you’ll need for a great Greek salad dressing. It’s also perfect for cooking vegetables such as beans, okra, peas and eggplants. In addition, Greek olive oil is also suitable for sweets as well! You can substitute it for butter and it’s better than using margarine for sweets, tarts and sweet pies. One cup of Greek olive oil is enough for a our favorite vegan chocolate cake!
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