• olive groves on hills
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  • wildflowers
  • blossoms
  • olive branches

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a panel of speakers on a stage, one standing at a podium, the others sitting in front of a screen that says "Planeterranean Project"

Have you ever wondered how you can enjoy the flavor and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet if you don’t live in the Mediterranean region and can’t get many Mediterranean products where you live? Scientists have not forgotten you. They have come up with an answer in the form of a “Planeterranean Diet” that adopts key concepts from the famous Med diet.

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Laconiko's olive harvest

Greek olive oil companies earned 52 awards at the 2023 edition of the Olive Japan International Olive Oil Competition. In a contest with 710 entries from 24 countries, 17 judges from 11 nations awarded 21 gold prizes and 31 silvers to Greek olive oils. Mediterre Eurofood SA won the Best of Greece distinction for its Koroneiki variety Mediterre Alea.

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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.

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olive tree plain below Achladokambos, with mountains in the distance

Many scientific studies have provided evidence of olive oil’s health benefits. Registered dietitian and nutritionist Elena Paravantes is a strong advocate of this healthy oil and the Greek Mediterranean diet where it plays a major role. She believes this oil and diet contributed to her progenitors’ longevity. For example, her grandfather lived 104 years.

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Boiled greens with olive oil and lemon on a white plate

How should I use olive oil? Greeks don’t need to ask, since they consume more of this liquid gold per capita than anyone else in the world. To help those outside the major olive growing regions, Greek Liquid Gold asked Greek olive oil producers and company representatives, plus two prominent European chefs, about their favorite ways to eat olive oil.

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Greek salad with soft white mizithra cheese on top of the vegetables

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy, tasty diet and lifestyle associated with communities near certain parts of the Mediterranean Sea, especially the Greek island of Crete, based on the way the locals typically ate before the 1960s. The American professor Ancel Keys led the first major study of the health benefits of this diet in the 1950s.

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Four hands sorting large green olives

An hour’s drive southeast of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, the regional unit of Halkidiki (Chalkidiki) draws visitors to its beaches, forested mountains, religious and archaeological sites, and olive groves. Those groves produce the area’s famous big green table olives. For a decade they have also yielded high quality extra virgin olive oil.

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4 bottles of Pellas Nature infused olive oils on a table with bowls of olives, cheese, and herbs

Pellas Nature is a family business that started with scientists and engineers in northern Greece, in a region and family where olive oil was not the most obvious focus. Thanks to a smart, dedicated team, the company grew into an internationally successful enterprise that uses innovative methods to produce a wide range of healthy, tasty infused olive oils.

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the ancient olive tree of Vouves, Crete (as much of the trunk and crown as the space for the photo allows)

Locals claim the ancient olive tree of Ano Vouves, Crete is the oldest olive tree in Greece. This may be an exaggeration, but at 3,000 to 5,000 years old, it is one of the oldest and most impressive. Although its huge trunk is now hollow, this tree still produces olives and entices tens of thousands of tourists to admire its sculptural beauty each year.

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Part of a tin of Yanni's Finest extra virgin olive oil lying on its side, with some golden olive oil pouring out

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a controversial drug that may slow cognitive decline in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Uncertainty about the drug’s efficacy and cost and concern about the possibility of serious side effects led three FDA advisory committee members to resign. Could extra virgin olive oil do better?

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Small bowls of olive oil and olives

Olive oil is good for us--so good that it is considered both a healthy food and a delicious medicine! There are so many articles about the scientific evidence for the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil that it’s hard to keep track of them. Here is an overview, followed by links to the best, clearest, most useful recent articles I’ve read.

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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.

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a large glass bowl of spanakorizo next to a small bouquet of anemones

You can make this vegan recipe using more or less of various ingredients, including spinach, depending on your preference. You can even use the spinach stems left over after you’ve made something else with the spinach leaves. I prefer to make the dish healthier using wholegrain brown rice, but that must be cooked separately given its longer cooking time.

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Two women sitting at a table at the Food Expo with a bag and papers related to the LIVINGAGRO project in front of them

During the Food Expo at the Metropolitan Expo Center in Athens on March 18-20, 2023, Greek stakeholders in the olive, olive oil, dairy, and meat sectors learned about the ENI CBC MED LIVINGAGRO project, Cross-Border Living Laboratories for Agroforestry. Several exhibitors shared their views on the benefits of innovation and agroforestry in the olive sector.

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Olive oil orange juice cookies on a plate and in two large jars near a glass of wildflowers

This is a revision of a traditional Greek olive oil and orange juice cookie with less sugar, more whole wheat flour, more orange zest, and more spices than the original. Very tasty, it is appropriate for certain types of fasting as well as for vegans, those seeking to lower their cholesterol, and health-conscious eaters who enjoy a slightly sweet treat. 

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bottles of Greek olive oil on shelves in a shop

All certified companies that produce, bottle, and/or export bottled and branded 100% Greek extra virgin olive oil are welcome to take advantage of all the advertising and sponsorship options on www.greekliquidgold.com. Other relevant businesses and organizations are invited to become sponsors or major supporters, purchase banner ads, and take advantage of writing and editing services.

Major Sponsors

Laconiko Olive Oil
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