Olive cultivation is inseparable from the history of Greece. Archaeological and environmental evidence cited by The Pappas Post places wild olive leaves in Greece millions of years ago and documents olive-oil processing in western Crete approximately four thousand years ago.
In the ancient world, olive oil was not limited to cooking. It was used in food preservation, lamps, perfumery, medicine and religious practice. Olive branches appeared on Athenian coins and in the wreaths awarded to victorious athletes. Winners at the Panathenaic Games received amphoras filled with olive oil, an indication of both its material and symbolic value.
Production and trade continued through the Roman and Byzantine periods. In Crete, olive oil later became an important ingredient in soap production, while travelers recorded the central place it held in the local diet. Modern research into the Mediterranean diet eventually brought international attention to dietary patterns that Greek communities had practiced for generations.
That long history gives context to contemporary Greek extra virgin olive oil. Variety, harvest time, growing region and production method all affect flavor and composition. The bottle on a modern table therefore belongs to a much older continuum of agriculture, food and culture.
Explore the current Agourolado high-phenolic extra virgin olive oil.
Source and further reading: Adapted from Lisa Radinovsky’s “The History of Olive Oil in Greece” in The Pappas Post. The original article includes its research references and fuller historical account.