Olive and Olive Oil Culture on both Sides of the Aegean Sea

TCF-Culinary Arts Center (YESAM) hosted Prof. Dr. Evangelia Balta, Director of Studies in Hellenic National Research Foundation in Athens. Prof. Balta claims to be an “Ottomanist” who has worked in Turkey for 30 years in the archives of İstanbul and Ankara.  She enjoys the life and cuisine of Turkey and points out that Turkey and Greece have common traditions, common products and one of these common products and common culture is the olive oil.

In her very informative speech, Prof. Balta has shared some valuable insight to the production and consumption of olive oil on both sides of the Aegean coast. Here is a short excerpt from her presentation:

“80% of Turkey’s olive trees are located on the Aegean coast. Greece’s olive bearing regions extend more or less overall its coast and islands with the primary olive producing areas being Crete and the Peloponnese. There are also some parts that are in central Greece, and lastly in the islands on the northern Aegean sea, in Mytilini, Lesvos and Thasos near Kavala.”

Prof. Balta also spoke about the culinary aspects of the olive oil:

“Greece and all coasts of Turkey, are covered by vast olive groves. Therefore it is completely unlogical for virgin olive oil not to be used in preparing “ladera” (zeytinyağlı – dishes cooked in olive oil).  However, these dishes are sometimes cooked with other types of oils based on the belief of being lighter and therefore healthier or cheaper. Olive oil is neither heavy nor fattening, it is certainly suitable for frying as long as it is not reused...

(...) I believe that the time has come for us to return to the culture of the olive oil, the product with the longest history in the area of Aegean sea.””  

After this very informative seminar on olive oil, the participants were offered dishes cooked or prepared with olive oil such as; purslane salad with tomatoes, green lentil salad, Artichokes a la polita, wheat pilaf with courgette, potatoes and onions and fava bean paste with cumins and onions. 

21 April 2015