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For many centuries, the history of the olive
tree and olive oil has been linked to the long history of Crete.
Numerous historians, based on archeological findings, refer to
Crete as the homeland of the olive tree.
It has been recorded that the olive tree was
originally cultivated around 3000 BC. In Knossos the room in
which the oil press machine was located was in the one of the
central places of the palace.
Many relevant archeological findings have
discovered: organic residues, tools, installations,
inscriptions, signs and others which all certify the eminent
presence of olive trees and olive oil in Crete.
In Minoan Crete the peasants considered the
olive tree to be very important, almost sacred, and not just
because of its nutritional value,; olive oil was also used as
the base for perfume, as holy oil in offerings to the gods, in
medicine, in witchcraft, as lubricants for tools, as fuel for
lighting fires and for the embalming of the dead. |
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According to Cretan mythology, Athena, the
donor of the olive tree, was born in Crete at the springs of the
river Triton and Dactyl Hercules propagated the cultivation of
the olive tree to Peloponese. This kind of worship and
protection apparently secured the survival of the sacred tree on
the island and in return it never ceased to serve as a major
economical resource.
This sacred tree and its blessed fruit - "A
symbol of knowledge and wisdom, of prosperity and peace, of
health, power and beauty" worshiped for thousands of years, and
becoming a living legend of civilizations, upon which myths,
traditions and rituals were created - is highlighted and
recommended by contemporary science as a major factor in health
and longevity. |
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When the pioneer nutritionist Ansel Kace
discovered in 1957, Crete and the Cretans, he declared that the
inhabitants of the island presented the lowest incidence of
heart disease and the longest lifespan in Europe; and he
exclaimed...
"There the peasants consume low quantities of
meat and dairy products; but, God, so much Oil!..and that is
their sole dietary fat. They add or pour it on whatever they
serve"
Olive Oil, the elixir of life; Cretan olive
oil, an important element of a healthy diet and major health
promoting factor for the Cretans. |
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