Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive (Olea europaea; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree

crop of the Mediterranean Basin.  It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, 

and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps.  Olive oil is used throughout the world, mostly
​in the Mediterranean countries such as Greece, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain .

Greece devotes 60% of its cultivated land to olive growing.  It is the world's top producer of  

black olives  and has more varieties of olives than any other country.  Greece holds 3rd place

in world olive production with more than 130 million trees, which produce approximately 

350,000 tons of olive oil annually, of which 82% is extra-virgin.  About half of the annual Greek

olive oil production is exported, but only some 5% of this reflects the origin of the bottled

product.  Olives are grown for oil in Greece, with Peloponnese being the source of 65% of Greek

production, as well as in Crete, the Aegean Islands and Ionian Islands.  The most prized Greek 

olive varieties for oil production are Kalamata and Korōnéiki, originating from the area of southern Greece in Messinia.  These varieties grow well on mountain slopes and produce very small fruit; the high ratio of skin to flesh gives the oil its coveted aromatic qualities.  These varieties ares also suited to the production of agourélaio, oil from olives that are slightly unripe.

Olive oil has been described as the "Mediterranean Miracle". This impressive title is based on the finding of numerous studies that have confirmed that a diet containing olive oil offers many health benefits.  Olive oil, for instance, plays an important role in the prevention of several life-threatening diseases.  People who live around the Mediterranean Sea, where olive oil is major constituent of their daily diet, have much lower death rates from heart disease  and certain cancers.  Interestingly, this is particularly true of the native Greeks from the island of Crete. Cretans are reputed to drink olive oil (on its own!), as well as incorporate it into their daily diet.