Credit: Greek Liquid GoldThe apical reasons to bargain Greek olive oil scope from flavor, quality, and wellness benefits to a wide origin, sustainability, and tradition. For millennia, olive lipid has been cardinal to Greek culture, cuisine, and history. Now, this versatile treasure is wide disposable worldwide. If you’ve wondered “why take Greek olive oil,” these benefits marque it clear.
By Lisa Radinovsky, editor of Greek Liquid Gold
A speedy look astatine 10 large reasons to take Greek olive oil
- Greek olive lipid tastes good.
- Most is other virgin.
- It offers galore wellness benefits.
- It plays a large relation successful the Mediterranean diet.
- Greek olive lipid has a long, affluent history.
- We cognize wherever Greek olive lipid comes from.
- It chiefly originates connected tiny household farms.
- Most Greek olives are grown successful environmentally-friendly groves.
- Greek olive lipid tin beryllium utilized successful galore ways.
- It’s casual to find Greek olive lipid worldwide.
More astir the apical reasons to bargain Greek olive oil
Olive trees astatine past Olympia. Credit: Robert Wallace, CC2/Flickr1. It tastes good.
One of the main reasons galore shoppers similar Greek olive oil: its flavor. Countless nonrecreational tasters person ranked Greek olive lipid among the champion successful the satellite for quality, twelvemonth aft year. Both location cooks and chefs besides emotion its flavors, which tin scope from mildly fruity to boldly spicy.
2. Most is other virgin.
This is the tastiest, healthiest, highest prime olive oil—the benignant connoisseurs urge for spirit and doctors and nutritionists urge for wellness benefits. Because it is higher successful earthy phenolic compounds that service arsenic antioxidants, extra virgin olive oil has built-in extortion against degradation. This means it retains its spirit and nutritious advantages longer than little grades of olive oil. The Association of Greek Industries and Packers of Olive Oil (SEVITEL) estimates that 70-80% of Greek olive lipid is other virgin. Many Greeks judge this is simply a overmuch higher percent than anyplace other successful the world.
3. It offers galore wellness benefits.
This unsocial could supply acold much than the apical 10 reasons to bargain Greek olive oil! Its dozens of wellness benefits scope from improving humor sweetener and cholesterin levels to reducing the hazard of stroke, cancer, bosom disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientific probe has revealed that galore of these benefits travel from olive oil’s naturally-occurring phenolic compounds (polyphenols), which person antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Greece produces immoderate of the highest phenolic other virgin olive lipid successful the world. It consistently ranks among the world’s healthiest olive oils.
4. Greek olive lipid plays a large relation successful the famously steadfast accepted Mediterranean diet.
Olive oil. Credit: Tabibak / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia CommonsThe “mother of the Mediterranean diet,” Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou, points retired that this fare developed implicit thousands of years “in the Mediterranean basin wherever we person the olive tree, due to the fact that without the olive tree, without olive oil, we cannot sermon the Mediterranean diet.” Ranked the Best Diet Overall for 8 years, the Med fare besides features plentifulness of vegetables, fruits, full grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.
5. It has a long, affluent past arsenic a captious portion of Greek culture.
Olive lipid and olives are truthful cardinal to Greek beingness that Nobel Laureate Odysseas Elytis wrote, “If you deconstruct Greece, astatine the extremity you volition spot that you are near with an olive tree, a vineyard and a boat.” When you usage Greek olive oil, which Homer referred to arsenic “liquid gold,” you are pursuing successful the footsteps of Aristotle, who developed olive increasing into a science, Hippocrates, the begetter of medicine, who prescribed olive lipid for dozens of ailments—and possibly adjacent the goddess Athena, who gave the radical of Athens the archetypal olive tree, according to myth.
You are partaking of a liquid erstwhile stored in ancient Greek amphorae that tin beryllium found in museums. You are benefitting from a nutrient that sustained Greeks during times of scarcity. You are enjoying lipid from olives that grew nether the prima that shines connected the Acropolis, past Delphi, and past Olympia. In fact, you tin adjacent bargain lipid made from olives harvested astatine those sites!
6. We cognize wherever Greek olive lipid comes from.
Olive mill successful Greece. Credit: Greek ReporterThat whitethorn look evident until you see the lawsuit of Italy and “Italian” olive oil. Italy some consumes and exports much olive lipid than it produces. Most of the olive lipid that comes from Italy is simply a blend of oils from respective countries, including Greece. On the different hand, with its little colonisation and possibly 150 cardinal olive trees, Greece produces much olive lipid than it consumes. This leaves plentifulness of its ain high-quality other virgin olive lipid to export. PDO and PGI certifications and traceability schemes from idiosyncratic companies adhd adjacent much transparency astir the precise geographical root of Greek olive oil.
7. It chiefly originates connected tiny household farms.
When you bargain Greek olive oil, chances are you’re supporting tiny household farmers, household businesses, and agrarian communities. Small-scale household farms successful Greece thin to harvester traditions passed down done the generations with innovations learned from scientists who stock accusation astir the latest grove care, cultivation, and harvesting techniques. With much attraction to prime than quantity, determination is simply a absorption connected producing natural, authentic other virgin olive oil. For small-scale producers, determination is clip to absorption connected craftsmanship, and pridefulness successful enactment that is done good and carefully. In spot of wide production, determination is attraction to detail.
8. Most Greek olives are grown successful environmentally-friendly, low-intensity groves.
When you usage Greek olive oil, you tin spot a reflection of the Greek prima connected your plate. When you take Greek olive oil, you’re apt to beryllium supporting environmentally affable producers. Because the scenery doesn’t let it successful galore parts of Greece, determination are precise fewer of the high-intensity oregon ace high-density olive groves much commonly recovered successful Portugal, the USA, and Spain. The low-intensity groves and accepted cultivation methods emblematic of Greece alteration much biodiversity, including the continuation of distinctive olive varieties that are autochthonal to circumstantial regions. These groves alteration the naturally-growing olive trees to past longer and usage acold little water.
9. It tin beryllium utilized successful galore ways.
From an mundane room staple to a luxury acquisition successful elegant packaging, from a nutritional supplement studied successful objective trials to a vibrant crystal pick topping, Greek olive lipid is appearing everyplace these days! You tin usage it to enliven marinades, soups, stews, casseroles, cakes, and cocktails. You tin usage it for everything from frying, sautéing, and baking to finishing, dressing, and dipping.
10. It’s casual to get astir the world.
With plentifulness of other virgin olive lipid and people flavored olive lipid disposable for export, Greek olive lipid travels the world! You tin find it successful supermarkets, specialty shops, and online. Where volition you get your adjacent vessel oregon tin? Why bash you take Greek olive oil?
Originally published connected Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (greekliquidgold.com). See that tract for recipes with olive oil, photos from Greece, agrotourism and nutrient tourism suggestions, and olive lipid quality and information.
Related: The Four Beautiful Seasons of the Olive Groves of Greece

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