Cretan Olive Oil Guide

Introduction to Our Cretan Olive Oil Guide

Cretan olive oil is the main fat of the traditional Cretan diet, and Cretans use it in almost every dish. This guide covers how the olives are harvested, what the science says about olive oil and health, how to cook with it and how to choose a bottle.

Crete has around 30 million olive trees, and Cretans have grown olives since the early Minoan period, around 3500 BC. The Minoan palace of Knossos has an olive press room.

Cretans eat olive oil in very large quantities. The Seven Countries Study, which followed groups of men in 7 countries from the late 1950s, describes the diet of its Cretan villagers as very high in olive oil and notes Crete's reputation for longevity. Our guide to the traditional Cretan diet explains the rest of that way of eating.

Cretan Olive Oil Guide: Harvesting

Olives in Crete, as in the rest of Greece, are usually harvested from early November through to February, depending on the area and the variety. Harvesting is usually a family affair, with children, grandparents, women and men all helping with the slow, labour-intensive work.

Hand picking is the gentlest way to harvest olives, because it bruises the fruit least and so gives the finest oil. Some farmers beat the trees with long poles so the olives fall onto nets laid on the ground. Others use wooden, plastic or mechanical rakes to "comb" the olives from the branches.

Olive Oil and Health

Olive oil is rich in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Under the EU's list of authorised health claims, Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, "replacing saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels". Cooking with olive oil instead of butter is a simple swap of this kind.

Extra virgin olive oil also contains polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants. The same regulation allows the claim that "olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress", but only for oils with at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and related compounds per 20 g, eaten at 20 g a day.

The PREDIMED trial in Spain tested a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil in people at high risk of heart disease. According to the 2018 PREDIMED report in the New England Journal of Medicine, that group had fewer heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths over about 5 years than a group advised to follow a reduced-fat diet. The trial tested a whole way of eating, not olive oil alone.

Olive oil is not a medicine. The EU has authorised no health claim that olive oil prevents or treats cancer, diabetes, asthma, arthritis or Alzheimer's disease, or that it slows ageing or helps weight loss. Our page on olive oil covers the evidence in more detail.

How to Use Cretan Olive Oil in Cooking

Cretan olive oil goes into almost every Cretan dish, raw or cooked. Its fruity aroma and golden-green colour suit salads, slow-cooked stews and simple bread dipping alike.

Drizzle, Dip or Dress

Raw olive oil is the easiest way to enjoy Cretan olive oil. A generous drizzle over a Greek salad brings out the sweetness of ripe tomatoes and the tang of feta cheese. For something even simpler, pour a little into a dish, add a sprinkle of sea salt and oregano, and dip in warm fresh bread.

Cooking with Olive Oil

Cretans fry, roast and sauté with olive oil as well as using it raw. Use it to fry vegetables gently, coat potatoes before roasting, or make a traditional Cretan dish such as briam, a tray of baked mixed vegetables. Olive oil is also the base of the island's slow-cooked lamb and tomato-based stews.

Baking with Olive Oil

Olive oil replaces butter in many Cretan cakes and biscuits, adding moisture and flavour. Try it in kalitsounia, the traditional Cretan sweet cheese pies, or in a simple orange and olive oil cake.

Choosing a Bottle of Cretan Olive Oil

A good bottle of Cretan extra virgin olive oil tells you how and where the oil was made. Family producers in areas such as North Mylopotamos in Rethymno hand-harvest their olives and press them by cold extraction, a method passed down for generations.

Koroneiki Olives

Koroneiki is the olive variety behind many famous Cretan extra virgin oils. Some labels spell it Koroneika. Producers who hand-harvest Koroneiki olives and cold-press them make oil with a fine aroma, taste and colour.

What to Look for on the Label

These 3 label terms help you pick a top-quality Cretan olive oil:

• Extra virgin olive oil from the first cold pressing, or cold extraction.
• Organic certification from an approved organic control body.
• Protected designation of origin (PDO), which links the oil to a named area of Crete.

Herb-Infused Olive Oil

Herb-infused olive oil is extra virgin olive oil flavoured with handpicked Cretan herbs. Oregano, basil and thyme are popular choices. A drizzle adds flavour to salads and simple dishes. We pour plain extra virgin oil generously over our Greek salad, and we use it to make tzatziki and Greek lemon potatoes.