Throughout antiquity the olive and its oil have played a major role in Greek life, ranging from the religious to the medicinal, from the nutritional to the commercial. Evidence of olive cultivation as far back as 2500BC has been found on the island of Crete. The ancient Athenians favoured Athena over Poseidon for their patron deity, because she offered them the olive tree, whilst Poseidon struck t
he ground with his trident, producing a spring whose water was too salty. Heracles' club was made from a wild-olive tree whilst Odysseus made his bed from an olive tree. Solon, the 6th century BC Athenian statesman recognised the importance of the olive tree to Greek life, and decreed that if anyone were found to be guilty of cutting down or moving an olive tree, the death penalty would be enacted. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is said to have referred to olive oil as the 'great therapeutic'.To this day, olive oil is very important to Greek society and is consequently strictly regulated. Background
Spain, Italy and Greece are the world's largest producers of olive oil, producing some 75% of the world's output. Olive oil is typically graded into a number of categories including Extra Virgin (the finest), Virgin, and Pure. Although only 30% of Spain's production is classified as Extra Virgin, in Italy it is 45% and in Greece 80%. Greece is also by far and away the world's largest per capita consumer of olive oil. For many years, much of Greece's Extra Virgin olive oil has been exported to Italy and elsewhere, and subsequently reblended and sold on. However, in recent years more and more Greek producers have been taking greater control of the marketing and distribution of their products. Elia
Elia ('olive' in Greek) is a new brand of Extra Virgin olive oil made from olive oil produced by us in a Peloponnesian village. The olives are of the Manaki or Koroneiki variety, are hand-picked (not mechanically picked) and cold pressed within 24 hrs of picking. All the oil produced is classed as Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The resulting oil is of exceptionally low acidity (typically less than 0.4%), which, among other benefits, leads to a longer shelf life of the oil. The oil has a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), there being only 16 PDO's for olive oil in the whole of Greece. PDO's are determined at European Union level.
