Crete has produced olives and olive oil since 2.800 B.C. The olive is such a hardy tree that it even grows in rock crevices. Their gnarled trunks not only look centuries old, they often are. Olive trees over a thousand years old are not uncommon. They have withstood droughts, storms, fires and frosts and have come through. They have endured all the climate fluctuations and natural disasters. They have seen conquerors come and go. Yet this is only half the truth. The other half is that the olive is a highly sensitive tree. It only lives in a very narrow zone around the Mediterranean – the “olive zone" which corresponds to a unique climate, known as “Mediterranean. Summers in the olive zone are hot and dry and winters mild and rainy.

The olive oil produced on Crete and in certain areas of the Chania prefecture in particular, is still of the same quality as it has been for many years. This is mainly due to the geology of the land, which is poor in organic substances and calcium. Therefore, the olive oil produced in this area has a special, mature and aromatic flavor and can be eaten both raw and cooked. The varieties of the olive trees are “lianolia" and “tsunati".

The olive-oil produced in Chania is virgin, has a dark golden-green color, a full taste and pleasant flavor and is also of high density and low acidity. It is used both in cooking and in the preperation of sweets, replacing the various butters of animal origin and the margarine. Its consumption contributes to maintaining a good health.

Source: Chania guide & Natural History Museum of Crete