Greek olives

Greece is famous for its many splendors, but olives are what undoubtedly characterizes this beautiful country. Their diverse cross-section reaches many varieties, and the oil made from them makes Greece famous among other nations. The following text provides detailed information on this Hellenic specialty.

History of Greek olives.

According to Hellenic beliefs, the first olive tree was donated by Athena.  

Types of olives

The most famous variety is the Kalamata olive.  It has a characteristic almond shape, dark, shiny color and a mild, slightly fruity aftertaste.

It is fixed in brine and marinated in wine vinegar to obtain its perfect, typical flavor.

Another popular type is the Conservolia olive.  This type of olive accounts for around 80% of the production of table olives.  They are larger and more oval in shape than Kalamata.  They have colors that range from lighter colors: green-yellow and green-red, to dark blue-black.

The next type of olives is called Tsakistes.  The name itself means a crack. They belong to the “Megaritiki" variety which grows mainly in Attica.  They are only green in color and have cracks characteristic of the name.  In ancient Byzantium, they were lightly broken with a wooden tool in order to break the flesh.  The next step was to soak them in warm water to eliminate the bitter aftertaste, then they were closed in earthenware jars with brines and a little wild fennel This process, despite the .considerable passage of time, has not changed much.

The last example of a type of Greek olive is Throumba, or wrinkled black olive. The most famous ones come from the island of Thasos, located in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.  They are olives that ripen on the tree.  Their shape is heavily wrinkled and their color is dark.  

They are fixed together with the salt.  This method is used because it is most likely one of the first and most easily survived the test of time.

 Speaking of olives, one cannot forget about olive oil obtained from them, i.e. the famous Greek olive oil, which has many health properties:  

– it enriches the human body with vitamins A, D, E, K

– supports digestion

– it slows down the aging process

– it affects the growth of bones in children