Page 32 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 2 | December 2023 - January 2024

GREECE

Greece, the origin of democracy, theatre, and the Olympic Games,
has always been a must-go travel destination on everyone’s bucket
list. Besides its rich cultural history and iconic beaches, we also
think of Greece for its cuisine and exquisite ingredients. And in
Greek cuisine, what stands out?

The most significant is, of course, olives and olive oil. Full of healthy
fats, olives from Greece are the best in the world. The fertile soil
and warm Mediterranean climate are suitable for growing olive
trees. Over the course of history, Greeks have built their homes
around olive trees, which have been sacred and symbolic in Greek
culture for thousands of years. Today, there are over 60 varieties
of olives due to local and regional climatic difference and soil
conditions, and each variety has its own character.

Kalamata olives are the best-known Greek olives. They a dark
brown, deep purple colour. Kalamata olives can only be called
Kalamata olives if it comes from the designated region. The
olives are specially hand-picked to avoid bruising. After harvesting
(the optimal time for this is late fall), the olives are separated for
preparation to be made into table olives, or pressed into olive
oil. Green olives are another variety; they are picked earlier than
harvest time. Timing is crucial as too green means bitter and too
dark is classified as low quality.

Masala’s Fun Fact

Olives have to go through a process called debittering (fermenting
the olives in brine), and this removes the bitter flavour of the raw
olives. However, if the olives are to be made into olive oil, then
this step is skipped. The bitterness is actually natural and necessary,
as it protects the olives, fending off microorganisms while they are
growing on trees.

32 | MASALA MAGAZINE DEC 2023-JAN 2024