The top reasons to buy Greek olive oil range from flavor, quality, and health benefits to a clear origin, sustainability, and tradition. For millennia, olive oil has been central to Greek culture, cuisine, and history. Now, this versatile treasure is widely available worldwide. If you’ve wondered “why choose Greek olive oil,” these benefits make it clear.
By Lisa Radinovsky, editor of Greek Liquid Gold
A quick look at ten great reasons to choose Greek olive oil
- Greek olive oil tastes good.
- Most is extra virgin.
- It offers numerous health benefits.
- It plays a major role in the Mediterranean diet.
- Greek olive oil has a long, rich history.
- We know where Greek olive oil comes from.
- It mainly originates on small family farms.
- Most Greek olives are grown in environmentally-friendly groves.
- Greek olive oil can be used in many ways.
- It’s easy to find Greek olive oil worldwide.
More about the top reasons to buy Greek olive oil
1. It tastes good.
One of the main reasons many shoppers prefer Greek olive oil: its flavor. Countless professional tasters have ranked Greek olive oil among the best in the world for quality, year after year. Both home cooks and chefs also love its flavors, which can range from mildly fruity to boldly spicy.
2. Most is extra virgin.
This is the tastiest, healthiest, highest quality olive oil—the kind connoisseurs recommend for flavor and doctors and nutritionists recommend for health benefits. Because it is higher in natural phenolic compounds that serve as antioxidants, extra virgin olive oil has built-in protection against degradation. This means it retains its flavor and nutritious advantages longer than lower grades of olive oil. The Association of Greek Industries and Packers of Olive Oil (SEVITEL) estimates that 70-80% of Greek olive oil is extra virgin. Many Greeks believe this is a much higher percentage than anywhere else in the world.
3. It offers numerous health benefits.
This alone could provide far more than the top ten reasons to buy Greek olive oil! Its dozens of health benefits range from improving blood sugar and cholesterol levels to reducing the risk of stroke, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientific research has revealed that many of these benefits come from olive oil’s naturally-occurring phenolic compounds (polyphenols), which have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Greece produces some of the highest phenolic extra virgin olive oil in the world. It consistently ranks among the world’s healthiest olive oils.
4. Greek olive oil plays a major role in the famously healthy traditional Mediterranean diet.
The “mother of the Mediterranean diet,” Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou, points out that this diet developed over thousands of years “in the Mediterranean basin where we have the olive tree, because without the olive tree, without olive oil, we cannot discuss the Mediterranean diet.” Ranked the Best Diet Overall for eight years, the Med diet also features plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.
5. It has a long, rich history as a vital part of Greek culture.
Olive oil and olives are so central to Greek life that Nobel Laureate Odysseas Elytis wrote, “If you deconstruct Greece, at the end you will see that you are left with an olive tree, a vineyard and a boat.” When you use Greek olive oil, which Homer referred to as “liquid gold,” you are following in the footsteps of Aristotle, who developed olive growing into a science, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who prescribed olive oil for dozens of ailments—and maybe even the goddess Athena, who gave the people of Athens the first olive tree, according to myth.
You are partaking of a liquid once stored in ancient Greek amphorae that can be found in museums. You are benefitting from a food that sustained Greeks during times of scarcity. You are enjoying oil from olives that grew under the sun that shines on the Acropolis, ancient Delphi, and ancient Olympia. In fact, you can even buy oil made from olives harvested at those sites!
6. We know where Greek olive oil comes from.
That may seem obvious until you consider the case of Italy and “Italian” olive oil. Italy both consumes and exports more olive oil than it produces. Most of the olive oil that comes from Italy is a blend of oils from several countries, including Greece. On the other hand, with its lower population and perhaps 150 million olive trees, Greece produces more olive oil than it consumes. This leaves plenty of its own high-quality extra virgin olive oil to export. PDO and PGI certifications and traceability schemes from individual companies add even more transparency about the precise geographical origin of Greek olive oil.
7. It mainly originates on small family farms.
When you buy Greek olive oil, chances are you’re supporting small family farmers, family businesses, and rural communities. Small-scale family farms in Greece tend to combine traditions passed down through the generations with innovations learned from scientists who share information about the latest grove care, cultivation, and harvesting techniques. With more attention to quality than quantity, there is a focus on producing natural, authentic extra virgin olive oil. For small-scale producers, there is time to focus on craftsmanship, and pride in work that is done well and carefully. In place of mass production, there is attention to detail.
8. Most Greek olives are grown in environmentally-friendly, low-intensity groves.
When you use Greek olive oil, you can see a reflection of the Greek sun on your plate. When you choose Greek olive oil, you’re likely to be supporting environmentally friendly producers. Because the landscape doesn’t allow it in many parts of Greece, there are very few of the high-intensity or super high-density olive groves more commonly found in Portugal, the USA, and Spain. The low-intensity groves and traditional cultivation methods typical of Greece enable more biodiversity, including the continuation of distinctive olive varieties that are native to specific regions. These groves enable the naturally-growing olive trees to survive longer and use far less water.
9. It can be used in many ways.
From an everyday kitchen staple to a luxury gift in elegant packaging, from a nutritional supplement studied in clinical trials to a vibrant ice cream topping, Greek olive oil is appearing everywhere these days! You can use it to enliven marinades, soups, stews, casseroles, cakes, and cocktails. You can use it for everything from frying, sautéing, and baking to finishing, dressing, and dipping.
10. It’s easy to get around the world.
With plenty of extra virgin olive oil and naturally flavored olive oil available for export, Greek olive oil travels the world! You can find it in supermarkets, specialty shops, and online. Where will you get your next bottle or tin? Why do you choose Greek olive oil?
*This is a guest post originally published on Greek Liquid Gold, a website for recipes with olive oil, photos from Greece, agrotourism, and olive oil news and information.
Related: The Four Beautiful Seasons of the Olive Groves of Greece
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