snacks with olive oil

Olive oil has been a fundamental product in Greece since ancient times. This liquid gold (as Homer called it) has remained central to Greek cuisine, culture, economy, and history for millennia. Today, home cooks, chefs, foodies, and olive oil judges across the globe value Greek olive oil for both its exquisite flavor and its significant health benefits.

olive groves on a cloudy day

Countless headlines proclaim the high price of olive oil. Climate change-induced heatwaves, droughts, floods, and fires have drastically reduced global olive oil production levels. Coupled with high prices for energy and labor, this has driven prices to record highs. So is olive oil worth what it costs? Yes: its flavor and health benefits make it priceless. 

Bottles and tins of olive oil on store shelves

This is the revised edition of a list that should grow very long but still has a great deal of room to grow—and additions are welcome. It focuses on where to buy bottled and branded 100% Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), since these are high quality, healthy olive oils that have their flavor sealed into bottles where oxygen cannot harm its quality.

olive oils and other products on the shelves of a specialty store in Athens, with a small table for sampling products in front of the shelves

Greek Liquid Gold asked Greek olive oil experts about the best ways to select and preserve extra virgin olive oil to retain its optimal flavor and maximum health benefits. They shared useful advice about where to buy olive oil, what to look for as you shop, where to keep your olive oil at home, and how long its excellent flavor and health benefits can last.

Irini Kokolaki preparing to taste olive oil from a blue glass

The Greek olive harvest began in September, but November is traditionally the busiest month for the thousands of olive farmers and olive mills that produce Greek olive oil. Many dedicated Greeks are learning the techniques needed to make some of the world’s best extra virgin olive oils. But how can consumers tell if they are buying extra virgin olive oil?

many bottles of Greek olive oil lined up on a table

When you think of olive oil, do you think of Italy and Spain? Did you know Greece produces the third largest quantity of olive oil on earth and the largest proportion of extra virgin, while consuming by far the most olive oil per capita? With this in mind, we asked some Greeks what they say to those who believe the best olive oil comes from Italy or Spain.

the bottom of a clear bottle of olive oil on a wooden tablel, with a sea view beyond it

Extra virgin olive oil is a tasty, historic, varied, versatile, stable, nutritious fruit juice. Olive trees offer a natural variety of flavors of oil that have appeared in international cuisine since ancient times. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in olive oil offer health benefits that have been examined in thousands of scientific studies.

closeup of a branch with several green olives and bits of other trees in the olive grove in the background

The olive tree has a unique identity and a long, productive life, especially in the Mediterranean region, where it is an integral part of the cuisine, culture, and history. How long does it live? How many olives make one kilogram of olive oil? Some of these olive tree statistics from the Great Extra Virgin Olive Oil website may surprise you.