The presence of the olive tree in Crete is confirmed by testimonies from excavations during the 3rd millennium BC and provide important information about the cultivation of edible olives from the pre-Minoan period (2800-2100 BC).

Olive fruits were found in the Palace of Knossos and in Archanes,[citation pending] while the most impressive find is considered to be the cup with edible olives found in the Palace of Zakros, and still preserved their flesh for over 3,500 years. [citation pending] During the Middle Minoan period the Cretan navy channeled the oil to large commercial centers. In Minoan Crete, the contribution of the olive tree to the economy of Knossos is important and from there it is transferred to the economy and life of Mycenaean Greece. The olive tree and its role in the economy and nutrition is very often reflected in Minoan art. Information about the olive and olive oil is available from frescoes, painted vases, jewelry in gold and texts in linear B. From many findings it is obvious that the olive and olive oil were used excellently by the Minoans, for the worship of the Great Minoan Goddess, for the needs of people and for exports.

Its cultivation began in the Neolithic era (7000-3500 BC) mainly in southern Crete and since then the olives were included in the basic food items of the Cretans. Evidence for study - such as olive kernels - we have from 3000- 2000 BC. From the Palaiopalatial period (2000-1700 BC) there are findings that prove that the harvest was guarded under the care of the central authority.

Apart from the economy, we find it in many ceremonies associated with religion, with customs and with folk origins.

As then, thousands of years ago, so today the olive tree still dominates the island and offers its valuable benefits not only to its inhabitants but also to the whole world in many different ways, such as: As a fruit that is a nutritional product (raw, cooked, processed or not), as a juice (olive oil) used as a nutritional product, for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and cleaning use (soap) and, finally, as a tree constituting raw material of tools and constructions, heating, material of art and expression.

In Crete of the classical and Hellenistic era there was a great deal of olive production. In Roman times the island seems to have produced large quantities of olive oil. In Byzantine times, we have a decrease in production, but with the development of soap making in Europe after the 15th century, it again strengthened the trade in olive oil.

Today 65% (2,350,000 acres) of the island's agricultural area is olive groves, comprising at least 35 million trees. In Crete, 80,000 - 120,000 tons of olive oil are produced annually, about 1/3 of the domestic production, of which 90% belongs to the category of extra virgin.

The quality characteristics of Cretan olive oil are due to the mild climate prevailing on the island, especially during the autumn and winter period, a period during which the oil is created, in the fruit, in the special soil conditions that favor the cultivation as well as in the varieties that thrive on the island. Also, the harvesting and transportation of the olives is done in a short time and with the help of modern export machines used by olive oil mills today in Crete, high quality olive oil is produced.

International studies that began in the 50s and 60s such as that of the Rockefeller Foundation, the "Lyon Diet Heart Study" but mainly the "Seven Countries Study" - showed that the population of Crete had the best state of health and the lowest mortality rates from coronary heart disease and cancer, compared to all the other populations studied.

In the "Study of the Seven Countries", olive oil consumption in Crete appears much higher, compared to that of other Mediterranean regions and countries, inside and outside the European area. It is the only oil extracted by mechanical processes unlike seed oils produced by chemical process. Thus, olive oil retains its antioxidants, which today are believed to prevent oxidative damage that leads to atherosclerosis, various forms of cancer, a number of degenerative diseases and dementia.

The biological value of olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil with high nutritional (yields 9. 3 Kcal / gr) and biological value. It is characterized by:

High content of monounsaturated fatty acids.
Ideal relationship of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.
High content of linoleic acid, which largely meets the body's requirements for essential fatty acids.
Good relationship between vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid).
Presence of natural antioxidants in excellent concentration (phenolic substances, tocopherols, beta-carotene, etc. ).
High hydrocarbon content of squalene.
High content of phytosterols, mainly beta-sitosterol.

Πηγή: Wikipedia