Olive Oil 101: Choosing, Storing & Cooking Like a Greek
If there’s one ingredient that defines the Mediterranean kitchen, it’s olive oil. Greeks don’t just cook with olive oil—we live by it. It’s our butter, our sauce, our marinade, and sometimes even our medicine. A drizzle of golden oil can transform bread into a meal, vegetables into a feast, and a simple salad into a celebration.
But here’s the hard truth: not all olive oil is created equal.
🫒 The Problem With Today’s Olive Oil Market
Unfortunately, the olive oil market today is driven more by profit than purity. Much of what you see on supermarket shelves is blended, refined, and often mislabeled. An oil that’s marketed as “extra virgin, cold-pressed” may very well have been mixed with lower-quality oils if it doesn’t come from a single source that can prove traceability.
Commercial olive oil production often gathers from multiple farms, multiple countries—even multiple harvest seasons. Somewhere along the way, “skimming off the top” happens, and the consumer is left with a product that’s less flavorful, less nutritious, and far removed from what our ancestors intended.
The result? An olive oil that lacks the depth, character, and integrity of the real thing.
🌿 A Family Friend, A Grove, and The Real Deal
This is where my family’s story connects.
My grandmother has a friend, Achilles, who inherited his family’s olive grove on the island of Crete. Every year, he produces his own oil, and it’s the kind of olive oil that makes you stop and notice.
I use Achilles’ olive oil for my meal prep and at my catering events, not just because of its incredible flavor, but because I know where it comes from. One grove. One farmer. One source. No blending. No tampering.
That’s the kind of trust you can taste.
💡 Why Single-Source Olive Oil Matters
Single-source olive oil isn’t just about integrity—it’s also about flavor. The taste of olive oil depends heavily on when the olives are harvested:
Early Harvest (August–September): Known in Greece as Αγουρέλαιο (Agourelaio), this is the prized oil pressed from young, green olives. It has a vivid green color, with a tart, grassy, and sometimes peppery bite at the back of your throat. It’s also packed with antioxidants and polyphenols, making it one of the healthiest forms of olive oil.
Late Harvest (October–November): By this time, the olives have ripened to a deep purple. The oil they produce is smoother, softer, and more “noble”—full of roundness and character without the sharp intensity of early-harvest oil.
Both styles are treasures, each telling a different part of the olive tree’s story. What matters most is choosing an oil that hasn’t been blended or stripped of its identity.
🌳 A Word About the Olive Tree
The olive tree is one of the most resilient crops in the world—and it thrives in Greece’s harsh, almost desert-like climate. Summers are hot, rain is scarce, and yet these trees endure.
Here’s the secret: olive trees aren’t meant to be watered frequently. In fact, the more they suffer, the stronger the fruit becomes. When a tree is forced to dig deep into the earth for nourishment, the olives it produces are more concentrated in flavor, richer in oil, and truer in character.
It’s the same principle that applies to grapevines and pistachio trees—crops that also flourish in Greece. Stress creates strength. And for the olive tree, that translates into oil that tells the story of the land itself.
Water an olive tree too much, and you water down its flavor. Let it live with resilience, and you taste its spirit.
🏺 How to Choose Olive Oil Like a Greek
Here are a few tips to help you shop smarter:
Look for single-origin labels. If the bottle says “Produced in Greece” but also “Bottled in Italy,” chances are it’s been blended.
Check for harvest dates. Olive oil is best when it’s fresh—ideally consumed within 12–18 months of harvest.
Dark glass bottles matter. Olive oil is sensitive to light; avoid clear bottles that expose it to damage. And never buy olive oil packaged in plastic. Plastic not only allows light and air to seep in, but it can also interact with the oil over time, compromising its flavor and integrity.
Taste it! Real olive oil should never taste flat or greasy. It should have character—whether grassy and sharp like Agourelaio, or smooth and noble like late-harvest oil.
🫙 How to Store Olive Oil
Even the best olive oil needs care. Here’s how to protect yours:
Keep it cool, but not cold. Store at room temperature, away from direct sunlight or heat.
Use it often. Olive oil isn’t wine—it doesn’t improve with age. Use it within a year of opening.
Seal it tightly. Oxygen degrades oil, so close the cap snugly after each use.
And here’s a bit of wisdom: if you put extra virgin olive oil in the refrigerator, it will harden and turn into a butter-like consistency. That’s part of its natural chemistry. It’s also one of the reasons commercial producers often pack foods in seed oils—because seed oils stay liquid when chilled.
👉 A good test of integrity is to chill your olive oil overnight. By the next day, it should solidify. If it doesn’t, chances are it’s been blended or cut with seed oils.
🍳 Cooking With Olive Oil—The Greek Way
In Greece, olive oil isn’t reserved for special occasions—it’s part of everyday life. We don’t measure it by the spoonful; we pour it with confidence. Olive oil goes into the pan for sautéing, onto vegetables before roasting, into bread dough for baking, and over salads as the final golden touch.
One of my favorite memories is watching my grandmother cook—she never hesitated with the olive oil. She knew it didn’t just cook the food, it carried flavor into every bite. A drizzle of fresh, single-source oil over warm beans or roasted potatoes was enough to transform a humble dish into something soulful.
But here’s something important: never cook olive oil on the highest heat until it burns. Once it smokes and scorches, the oil turns bitter—and in our kitchen, that would be considered disrespectful to such a precious ingredient. Cooking with olive oil is about mindfulness: medium to medium-high heat is plenty.
And here’s a tip from our home: if you’re sautéing and the pan starts to go dry—before anything burns—add a splash of moisture. A bit of chicken stock or vegetable broth will loosen the dish, keep the flavors alive, and prevent scorching. Then, when the dish is finished, add a fresh drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving. That way, you honor its flavor twice—once in cooking, and once at the table.
Because in a Greek kitchen, olive oil isn’t just an ingredient—it’s a partner, a protector, and the heart of every dish.
🌿 The Bottom Line
The olive oil you choose matters. It can elevate your cooking, nourish your body, and carry the stories of generations who tended the trees before you.
Whenever I pour oil from Achilles’ grove into my pans or onto a fresh salad, I feel connected—to the land, to tradition, and to the people who cared enough to do things the right way.
And that’s what cooking like a Greek is all about: purity, passion, and love served in every drop.
With love and olive oil,
GK
