Olive trees in Greece

The mythology

The story starts more than a couple of thousands ago when the Gods were trying to find a name for the city we call today, Athens, the capital of Greece.

According to Plato, “Our country is deserving of praise, not only from us but from all men, on many grounds, but first and foremost because she is god-beloved. The strife of the god who contended over her and their judgment testify to the truth of our statement”. With the word “country”, Plato refers to the city of Athens.

Zeus (the King of Gods) asked Poseidon and Athena to compete and the winner would give the name to the city and also the city would be protected by the winner God.

Poseidon hit the rock with his spear and marine water started flowing out of the rock.

Athena did the same and a olive tree came out – Athena was the winner!

So the city got her name and also Parthenon (the church or abbey at the top of Acropolis) was dedicated to her.

Greece is intertwined with olive and olive oil. Olive tree is a symbol of wisdom but also a functional food.

According to the Greek Nobel Laureate, Odysseas Elytis: “Εάν αποσυνθέσεις την Ελλάδα, σου απομένουν μια ελιά, ένα αμπέλι κι ένα καράβι” [if you break down Greece, you are left with an olive tree, a vine and a boat]

The medicinal properties

The functional properties of olive oil are numerous. It protects from chronic inflammation and a number of what we call “Non-communicable diseases” (NCD) or chronic diseases which are diseases that can’t be transmitted from human to human. NCD include a number of diseases and disorders like cancer, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, metabolic syndrome and obesity.

The daily intake of olive oil and the consumption of olives give us a “protective shield” against inflammation.

Inflammation, the root cause, of NCD can be minimised by using olives and olive oil in our daily diets.

Therefore, in Greek recipes, olive oil is an essential element.

Also, contrary to the current belief that sunflower oil is the best oil for frying, olive oil is the most nutritious and heat-resistant oil; hence the perfect oil to fry into.

A diet based on olive oil

According to the Mediterranean diet pyramid, the bottom shelf of the pyramid includes foods that they need to be consumed on a daily basis and these are fruits, vegetables and olive oil.

Therefore, olives and olive oil are integral parts of the Greek cuisine. There is also a good variety of Greek olive oils grown in different parts of Greece: the main places are the islands of Lesvos and Crete, Peloponnese and central Greece.

Our company “All Greek to You” offers you all these different olives so you can find one that your palate likes.