Following years of research and great pains, scientific evidence tends to point in various directions and times as to the origins of the olive tree the very exact spot where the first olive tree ever sprouted remains to all honest scientists a mystery.

The olive tree originated somewhere in the Mediterranean in wild form as far back as the 12th millennium BC The first to cultivate it were most probably the Syrians or the Minoans in Crete somewhere between 3,500 and 2,500 B.C.

The word olive was coined in Crete by the Minoans: elaiwa (olive) while in classical Greece it was simplified a bit to elaia (olive) and elaion (oliveoil). Greeks exported elaia and elaion to Latium and the Latins bought olea (or oliva) and oleum. The Minoans were delicate people who led a comfortable existence on Crete excelling in the arts of peace. It was they who first shipped olive cuttings to North Africa, Asia Minor and mainland Greece.

• The industry of Olive Oil

The industry is actually involved in nothing more than storing, quality control and packaging. Temperatures are kept constant in high quality tanks while quality control is more of a science than an art.

Companies check more than 25 parameters in every olive oil batch. It is a very high cost procedure, but the consumer can be certain that it is there and that the specifications he will find on labels correspond to the contents of the container.

Virgin Olive Oil is a term to describe oil obtained from the tree only through mechanical means. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the best quality olive oil while refined Olive Oil is a term to describe oil obtained from Virgin Olive Oil of higher acidity. It is light, with no strong features and for flavor purposes is blended with virgin olive oil. The organoleptic properties of Olive Oil are milder to those of Virgin Olive Oil. A very talented and very shy olive oil.

• Greek Olive oil exports keep rising

Still, there is enough left for over 1/3 of the annual production to be exported. In fact Greece is the world's largest exporter of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. All those involved in the production and marketing of olive oil know the superior quality and the excellent organoleptic properties of Greek olive oil, which exported in bulk, quietly sneaks into bottles and cans to silently grant its unparalleled taste and aroma to olive oil packaged and sold elsewhere.

Greek Olive Oil holds 90% of EU total olive oil exports There is a rise though in other countries as well, such as Canada, Australia, Japan and the US. The presence of Greek brand-name olive oil on the international market has for many years been minimal.

In the recent years Greek exports have increased greatly. This increase to a certain extent reflects the upward swing in overall olive oil consumption due to the shift towards healthy nutrition and the consequent proliferation of Mediterranean cuisine. And as the international consumer learns to recognize the value of olive oil, he will come to recognize what the experts already know: the incomparable virtues and personality of Greek olive oil.

• Olive oil forms the Greek cuisine and eating habits

Olive tree cultivation is hard work. The bulk of the work concentrates in pruning and harvesting. There are four types of pruning: training, production, rejuvenation pruning and regeneration pruning. It is the first thing the farmer does right after harvesting to prepare the tree for the next crop.

It is only natural that good prunes get boasting fits twice a year, when the olive oil is still young from the press and at pruning time when they are lords and masters of the field. The fact that these two times almost coincide works wonders for community peace.

Harvesting time is from November to March, depending on the area and the variety. Olives meant for oil has to be picked when they are 3/4 black. That is the golden rule quantity/quality-wise. When they are greener, there is not enough oil, when they are all black, oil quality goes down.

Most Greek olive groves were first planted is natural. Amends have been made since to a large extent but still a farmer having no choice other than to rely on classic means of transport, mules and donkeys, to get his olives out of the field and up or down the terraces to the road is not a rare sight.

Quality control is more of a science than an art. Companies check more than 25 parameters in every olive oil batch. It is a very high cost procedure, but the consumer can be certain that it is there and that the specifications he will find on labels correspond to the contents of the container.

Cretans consume 30 kilos (60-70 pounds) of olive oil a year per person while 90% of all fats there was provided by olive oil. The role of olive oil in the prevention of cardiovascular disease is indeed unique. Heart disease is in direct proportion to the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. Olive oil, due to its fatty acid composition, has a beneficial impact on controlling cholesterol levels.

It is widely believed that antioxidant substances such as vitamins E, K and polyphenols Found in olive oil provide a defense mechanism that delays aging and prevents carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, liver disorders and inflammations. Since olive oil is not tortured during extraction these substances are left unspoiled making the olive oil very stable, even when frying. So contrary to common belief, products of deterioration at frying are much lower in olive oil than in other oils.

Due to its chemical structure, olive oil is of unrivaled organoleptic value and thus the oil best suited for human consumption. The stomach very well tolerates it. In fact, its protective function has a beneficial effect on gastritis and ulcers. It is a cholagogue; it activates the secretion of pancreatic hormones and bile much more naturally than prescribed drugs. Consequently, it lowers the incidence of cholelithiasis. Its excellent digestibility promotes the overall absorption of nutrients, especially vitamins and mineral salts and it has a positive effect on constipation.

Promoting bone mineralisation, it is excellent for infants and the elderly who have bone calcification problems. It also has beneficial effects on brain and nervous system development as well as overall growth. It shields the body against infection and helps in the healing of tissues internal or external.

Olive oil is a panacea, the perfect oil for all ages. And every time scientists look into the reasons behind an olive oil advantage empirically known and employed by the peoples of the Mediterranean it is sure that they will come across evidence of yet another unique biological attribute.

Traditionally the oil exclusively used in the Mediterranean diet has been olive oil. Take it out and there is no Mediterranean cuisine. It is as vital to the taste of the food as salt. Olive oil somehow manages to preserve, better yet to bring out the true taste of the ingredients while adding its own personal touch. In vegetable dishes its herbal hues blend excellently with the greens.

Nouvelle cuisine loves smooth almond tones, salads a hint of apple, for mayonnaise orangy and a hearty olive oil makes a great rustic fried egg. The olive oil's personal touch is indeed personal. And there is a universe of flavors to discover in olive oil. To the real fan depth of color, mouthful, body, bouquet, taste, aftertaste may mean little as words but not on as far as taste is concerned. After a while, as he experiments with different olive oils and acquires a taste for it, he will develop his own personal preferences.

Any Greek, who has come to appreciate olive oil since his early childhood, who knows and seeks the pleasures of the palate, will tell you that once quality is assured, olive oil is above all an emotion.

Olive oil has been the key ingredient of Greek savory and sweet dishes, since ancient times. During the late 15th century, the Ottoman Turks and partially replaced olive oil in baking introduced butter to Greece. Home baked bread with olives was the staple of the Greek rural population since ancient times.

Six olives give the same strength as a beef steak my grandmother used to say. Meat, up until 40 years ago, was served at Greek tables no more than twice a week. Apart from poverty, another reason was the useful knowledge