Greetings, everyone! David 'Avocado' Wolfe here, and I've just returned from an epic journey through Greece. We visited some historic sites, as well as ancient olive groves. And we enjoyed the Best Ever olive oil from Greece -- Rallis Olive Oil!
Adventures in Greece
My 7th grade teacher, Mr. Borntrager, who taught me both English and Social Studies, decided that we were going to study and read The Iliad. It was a seminal moment; a turning point in my life.
We learned all about Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus and the confederation of Greek Kings that banded together to retrieve Helen (Menelaus’ wife) from her abduction and elopement with Paris of Troy. All of this led to the part historic, part mythologic Trojan War.
Agamemnon was King of Mycenea. And it was through reading The Iliad that I became aware of this fabled city and megalithic ruin which stands today in the northeast region of the Peloponnese, Greece. Today, we finally visited this glorious place, precisely 40 years after we began reading The Iliad in Mr. Borntrager’s class.
Greek Olives
Our trip to the Peloponnese of Greece and deep into the Olive Growing Capital of the World to pick olives and process olive oil with the Rallis Brothers left me deeply nourished and profoundly connected to my genetic homeland.
Think about this: the two foods that agree with me the most—olives and oranges—have been grown in this region for thousands of years. In fact, oranges may have appeared in this area of the Mediterranean at the time the Egyptian civilization began to dominate the region. That's as far back as 2500 BC! Oranges were already in Greece during the classic Greek period of Plato and Socrates. (1)
How much do I love oranges? I can easily eat 20 oranges in a day. Fresh orange juice is my favorite drink other than fresh spring water. There is literally a zero percent chance that I will ever die of scurvy.
And when I say that olives agree with me better than any other food, I am referencing specifically to naturally sun-dried original olives that are naturally ripe and have never been touched by human hands. The Greeks call them the hamades — the ones that have fallen.
Rallis Olive Oil
I met the Rallis brothers in Ontario, Canada over a decade ago. Their farm-made Greek olive oil (from their farm in the Peloponnesus) captured my attention immediately. Over the years, I have often had them and their wonderful family olive oil at my events. I can attest, first-hand, that their ice-pressing system is the best olive oil pressing system I have ever seen in the world. A phenomenal, fresh olive oil that you can trust!Not all olive oil is created the same! Watch out for some that have been diluted with vegetable oils -- a huge problem in the olive oil industry. Be sure to buy the real deal HERE!
Rallis Ice-Pressed Olive Oil
Olives pack nutrients into a bite-sized snack. Although olives are the fruit of the olive tree, they are more savory than sweet, so we often pair olives with veggies and ferments. The high fat content provides great energy, but the antioxidant polyphenols steal the show. (2)
Of course, olive oil is the extraction of the oil from the flesh of the olive. A mainstay in processing olive oil is malaxing, or crushing and emulsifying olive paste, using heat and pressure to extract the oil. (3)
Rallis has a different process. Their unique cold processing method protects the delicate, heat-sensitive oil, while keeping the nutrients intact. In fact, Rallis Olive Oil keeps the olive oil so close to its natural state that it has a distinctive olive flavor many other products lack.
Also, Ancient Greek Olives naturally offer a high polyphenol content. These antioxidants offer many benefits. "Extensive studies have shown the potent therapeutic effects of these bioactive molecules against a series of chronic diseases." (4)
But if they are heated too high or mixed with other vegetable oils, then the benefits dissipate. Unfortunately, food fraud is a fact, and olive oil takes the prize as the most adulterated food product out there. (5) Granted, some lists put olive oil at #3, but you can see this is a pernicious problem.
Know Your Farmer
How can you trust what your buying? By knowing your farmer! I've met with the Rallis family, and now I've seen their Greek farm production in person. Rallis presses their olives ice cold to literally create a truly RAW olive oil that actually tastes like olives! And they bottle and label their olive oil to ensure you get nothing but their liquid Mediterranean gold.
Keep in mind, too, that this is an unfiltered olive oil. Part of that malaxing process described above includes filtering out any little bit of olive paste. Sometimes that process takes away from the flavor and nutrient profile of the oil. So why do it? Rallis filters their oil, but some debris is still there. Enjoy the flavor and nutrient boost!
