OLIVE AND OLIVE OIL
MEDITERRANEAN DIET
100 GREEK AND CYPRIOT RECIPES
KETERINA TSOUCHTIDI
TOUBIS EDITIONS 2003
www.toubis.gr
Back cover
Olive oil is an integral part of the history, economy and culture of all the Mediterranean countries, especially Greece. For the Greeks, it is a way of life and an irreplaceable food throughout the centuries! Greeks are the greatest consumers of this wonderful ‘natural juice’ and 70% of the fats they consume are derived from olive oil.
Today’s urban lifestyle, resulting in population mobility, new forms of labour, new health conditions, etc., has raised the issue of healthy diet in developed societies. This has meant that the quality and type of our nutrition have become increasingly important matters. Science has contributed much to food technology in order to satisfy the continually increasing demands of the population. But these ‘technological’ interventions are not always healthy.
Olive oil is wonderfully nutritious, forming the basis for the renowned Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet is a combination of foods that are perfectly balanced, guaranteeing long life, health and a positive psychological outlook.
This book aims to provide consumers and all those interested with the right information to improve the quality of their diet. Also included are several traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes prepared using olive oil. Try them, they are delicious!
Chapter 1: Between Myth and History
The elixir of life and longevity
• Evidence from Greece today demonstrates the true blessing of olive oil for the prevention of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, breast and prostate cancer. Olive oil makes a great contribution to a long life.
• The olive oil of Greece is a natural juice and is one of the twelve most beneficial foodstuffs. If it is of high quality it is known as ‘extra virgin’ and is one of the purest and healthiest fats consumed by man.
• All types of oil, plant and animal, contain different kinds of fatty acids. These are divided into saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.
• Olive oil contains only monounsaturated fatty acids as well as oleic acid, a major component of olive oil with a content of up to 80%. It gives health and long life and is superior to any other type of oil. It is an irreplaceable food.
• The ancient doctor Hippocrates recommended olive oil as a cure for many illnesses, believing that olive oil, wine and wheat constituted the basis of a good diet.
• In 1947 a group of scientists visited Crete. To their surprise, despite the fact that the region was devastated after the war, the health of the residents was significantly better than that of Britons or Americans. The Cretans had an average of fewer deaths from cardiovascular diseases and cancer and they lived longer.
• Extensive scientific research was first carried out in the 1950s in seven countries (Finland, the United States, Holland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Japan and Greece) to determine which countries had less deaths from cancer and heart disease, and which factors could help prevent such diseases.
• One thousand people aged between 40 and 59 from each country participated in the study. Over a period of 15 years, the researchers’ attention was draw to one region of the Mediterranean, to Crete.
• Not simply were there lower rates of deaths from cancer and heart disease on Crete, but life expectancy was also much higher.
• By country the death rate from heart disease was: Finland = 97.2%; Holland = 63.6%; Italy = 46.2%; Yugoslavia 34%; Greece = 20.2%; Crete = 3.8%. In the United States the death rate from heart disease had already reached 77.3%.
• Moreover, there were no deaths in Crete from cancer or other serious illnesses.
• The researches initially tried to explain the phenomenon in terms of the climate or the way of life of the residents of Crete. They soon came to the conclusion, however, that the long life of the Cretans was due to the significant quantity of olive oil that they consumed in comparison with other peoples, as well as the fruit and vegetables.
• The conclusions were that the Cretans age well because they eat well.
• Recent reliable studies have also shown that among the peoples of the Mediterranean the Greeks have the most balanced diet. With basic ingredients of olive oil, fruit, vegetables, cereals, wine, fish, honey, and the wonderful herbs – produced with a high nutritious value – the Greek diet is a model for a healthy way of life, absolutely suited to the modern lifestyle.
Olive oil and medicine
Cardiovascular diseases
• Several studies conducted in the past fifteen years in both the European Union and the USA have confirmed the beneficial effects of olive oil for cardiovascular diseases.
• In the Greek regions of Crete and Mani in particular, where the diet includes aside from olive oil large quantities of vegetables, fruit, pulses, fish, etc., with little meat consumption, cardiovascular diseases are significantly reduced in comparison to those nations with a higher consumption of animal fats and meat.
• It has been proved that olive oil reduces the level of low-density lipoproteins, i.e. ‘bad’ cholesterol, and increases the level of high-density fatty proteins, i.e. ‘good’ cholesterol. This reduces the deposition of fats on the walls of the arteries, reducing clotting of blood vessels and the heart.
• More than any other natural produce, olive oil reduces cholesterol and so provides the heart with a wonderful protective shield.
Olive oil and ulcers
• Olive oil does not upset the stomach, unlike animal fats. It reduces gastric fluids and helps treat ulcers.
• A spoonful of extra virgin olive oil a day on an empty stomach helps the intestine to function properly and treats constipation.
Olive oil and the skin
• Olive oil contains vitamins A, B and E and protects human skin from the sun and burns.
Olive oil and the nervous system
• Chlorophyll contributes to cell growth, and reinforces blood metabolism and strength. It plays a leading role in the development of the central nervous system. Olive oil is man’s best source of energy.
Olive oil and cancer
• The therapeutic qualities against cancer (especially breast cancer) that the regular consumption of olive oil provides are well known. Harvard Professor D. Trichopoulos calculates that the daily use of olive oil reduces the risk of breast cancer by around 25%.
• It is not by chance that among the women of Crete and Mani, where olive oil is consumed in great quantities, breast cancer and ovarian cancer are rare.
Olive oil and aging
• The antioxidant substances contained in olive oil help us to age well. Chlorophyll contributes to cell growth and reinforces blood metabolism and strength. It plays a leading role in the development of the central nervous system.
Olive oil and bile
• Helps bile thus aiding digestion.
Olive oil and bones
• Olive oil contributes to a strong skeleton and bone growth and composition of children’s bones. It plays a great role in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Olive oil and neuralgia
• A massage with warm olive oil reduces pain.
Olive oil and pancreas
• It activates the pancreas to a significant degree so that diabetics often require less quantities of insulin.
Cosmetics
• Since antiquity olive oil has been used for the manufacture of perfumes and cosmetics.
• Thanks to its protective fats, olive oil protects the skin from the harm caused by air pollution. It has revitalizing, moisturizing and softening qualities and for this reason is used in many moisturizing creams, soaps and perfumes.
Chapter 2: From the Olive Tree to Olive Oil
Cold-pressed olive oil
• Cold-pressed olive oil is the most healthy as it is completely natural. It is the first oil to come out of the classic old-style press, without the addition of warm water, which destroys its vitamins.
• Over 5 kilos of olives are required to produce one kilo of cold-pressed oil.
Organic olive oil
• The past twenty years have witnessed an effort to grow more organic foods, such as fruit, vegetables, wine, cereals, etc. Consumers believe that this produce is of a higher quality and nutritional value as no chemicals have been added.
• In 1988 organic olive cultivation began in Mani and is spreading continuously.
Chapter 3: Varieties of Olive
Chapter 4: The Mediterranean Diet
Chapter 5: Recipes With Olive Oil