The fruity
aroma is due to the olive variety it is produced from. The care during
the harvest of the olive, the processing, the storage and the standardisation
ensure its particular qualitative characteristics.
It can
be used in salads and on vegetables where it unfolds its full aroma
and its exquisite flavour. Further it can be used in the cooking of
food adding to it that special relish which is so characteristic of
Cretan cuisine
Legend
The shores of the Mediterranean are alive with ancient myths and legends
about the olive tree.
In Greek
mythology the origin of the olive tree begins with a contest between
Poseidon, god of the seas and Athena, goddess of wisdom to determine
who would be protector of a newly built city in Attica. It was agreed
that the winner would be the one offering the most valuable gift to
the people of Attica. Poseidon struck his trident on a rock and salt
began to flow. Athena struck her spear on the ground and it turned into
an olive tree. Athena won the contest and the city was named Athens
in her honour.
Cultivation
The olive tree is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world.
A native to Asia Minor, it spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to
the rest of the Mediterranean 5,000 years ago. Pollen analysis indicates
that olive trees have been present in Greece since Neolithic times.
Greeks were the first to cultivate the olive tree around 3500 BC on
the island of Crete. By 2000BC cultivation in Crete was on a large scale
with exports to mainland Greece, Northern Africa and Asia Minor. Between
the 7th and 3rd centuries BC ancient philosophers, physicians and historians
undertook the botanical classification of the olive and wrote its history
while Aristotle elevated its cultivation to a science. Ancient Greeks
protected olive trees by legislation. In the 6th century BC Solon the
great Athenian legislator drafted the first law for the protection of
the olive tree in which he prohibited the cutting down of more than
two trees a year in each olive grove.
Social
Beliefs
For the ancient Greeks, the olive tree was a symbol of peace, wisdom
and triumph. Olympic athletes in Greece were massaged with olive oil
and believed that three gifts of the gods would flow from it - wisdom,
power and strength. When the first Olympic Games took place in Olympia
in 776 BC an olive wreath was used to crown the Olympic champions. Indicative
of the significance of the olive tree to the Athenians is that coins
portrayed the goddess Athena with an olive wreath on her helmet and
an amphorae with olive oil.
Religious
Beliefs
The ancient Greeks polished the statue of Zeus with olive oil. That,
they believed would bring it a long and happy life.
The olive
and its oil held and still has a special role in the Greek Orthodox
religion as a symbol of love and peace. It was an essential part of
several solemn rites from baptism to use in the oil lamps used in churches.
The Bible
contains many references to the culinary and religious uses of olives
and olive oil. In the Book of Genesis the dove sent out from the ark
by Noah returns with an olive branch, the symbol of peace indicating
the end of God’s anger. In the Book of Exodus the Lord tells Moses
how to make an anointing oil of spices and olive oil. During consecration
holy anointing oil was poured over the heads of kings and priests.
Medicine
Greek physicians used olive oil to heal wounds and cure many ailments
including insomnia, nausea, cholera and ulcers. They also claimed that
olive oil slowed the ageing processes. The ancient Greeks rubbed olive
oil into their skin as a beauty aid to soften and moisten the skin and
into their hair and scalp to maintain healthy and shiny hair. Olive
oil has been a health potion around the Mediterranean for 4000 years.
The Greek philosopher Democritus believed a man could live to be 100
on a diet of honey and olive oil. The Greeks bathed their bodies in
olive oil to preserve their beauty. Greek soldiers rubbed olive oil
over their bodies to keep themselves warm. As recently as 30 years ago,
olive oil was kept behind the counter at the chemist's along with other
such delights as kaolin, morphine, and syrup of figs. Warmed olive oil
was regarded as a useful weapon against ear wax.