Interesting Facts About Greek Olive Oil
- by XpatAthens
- Thursday, 03 December 2020
Olive oil is an essential ingredient in Greek cuisine and an integral part of the Mediterranean diet – which is considered the healthiest in the world!
1. Greece is the 3rd largest olive oil producer in the world and the biggest exporter of extra virgin olive oil. Greek extra virgin olive oil is even exported to other oil producing countries such as Italy and Spain.
3. Each Greek person consumes an average of 26 liters of olive oil a year!
4. A mature olive tree will produce 15- 20 kilos of olives each year. It takes about 5 kilos of olives to make a liter of oil; therefore, an olive tree yields 3-4 liters of oil each year.
5. Extra virgin olive oil has a delicious, clean flavor and is produced from the first pressing of the olives without any use of solvents, and in specific temperatures that will not degrade the oil.
6. The fresher the olive oil is, the better it tastes. After about a year, it's best to use the oil for cooking, while keeping the fresher oil for dressing salads and other cold uses.
7. Olive oil has a high content of monounsaturated fats; studies have shown that replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats, can lower the risk of coronary heart disease.
8. It is a proven fact that olive oil helps reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the level of good cholesterol (HDL).
9. Olive oil is very high in oleic acid, which helps reduce blood pressure and contains several antioxidants such as vitamin E, carotenoids, and oleuropein.
This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab