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Lakonia

The southern part of the state of Lakonia, around the City of Monemvasia, does maintain  a unique and perfect climate to the Athinio Olive.

 

Monemvasia

Behind the "Castro’s" walls a unique and mostly untouched middle age town is hidden, today an attractive hideaway for artists.

Strapping captain houses can be found  next to numerous churches, approximately 40, amongst them Agios Anna, basilica of the 24th century, Agios Nikolaos from the 18th century, Panagia Kritika church, Agios Stefanos in Italian-Byzantine style ( 16th cent.) and the church Agios Pavlos from the 10th century.

The church Elkomeno Christou from the 13th century , the metropol church of Monemvasia is important with its four Byzantine icons and two imperial thrones out of marble .

The houses often show Venetian influence with their chimneys on the eastern side of the houses and the balconies facing the sea .

 

Lakudia Olive Oil

On the coast of Lakonia

The LAKUDIA mountainside olive grove is located on the sunny coast of Laconia, 300 m above sea level.

	Olive tree in bloom in May, located in the village of Lira in Terria valley (Click picture to enlarge)

The climate there provides the most favourable conditions in the world for producing olive oil of the very finest quality. The olive groves in the surrounding region yield top-quality oil that comes from family-run businesses. The oil they produce has a bright greenish tint, an intense and fruity flavour and a slightly bitter note.

We use only selected grown oils. These oils come from a single plantation and are not blended with other oils or filtered. Our clear oils are bottled very carefully; the naturally cloudy oils contain pulp, which has the full power and flavour of the olive.

The exceptional quality of this oil is due in part to its extremely low content of fatty acids (only 0.3 – 0.6 %).

 

 

Lakudia oils

• Extra virgin olive oil
• First cold press
• no chemical additives
• 100 % single-variety oil of the Athinio Olive
• pure vintage oil of one harvest
• unblended
• acid content <0,6 %
• guaranted to be pure
• from one single plantation

 

Ways to use olive oil

• For all kinds of salad dressings and salads.
• For cooking, pan-frying and deep-frying. Unlike other oils, olive oil can withstand temperatures of over 210° C.
• For preserving vegetables, meats and cheeses.
• A delight in pesto sauces or served by itself over pasta with herbs!
• Olive oil is wonderful as a massage oil, body oil / baby oil and good for mouth-rinsing detoxification cures and hair care.
• A spoonful of olive oil before consuming large quantities of alcohol does wonders.

Store your oil in a tightly sealed container and keep it in a dark, cool spot where it cannot freeze. The oil will become gritty and opaque at colder temperatures but will return to its original consistency at room temperature.

 

 

Oil - the nectar of the gods

Today there are very few oils that might be considered the nectar of the gods, and mass-produced cooking oil has appallingly little in common with this poetic description. EU labelling standards now permit inferior oils to call themselves "extra virgin," which means that the designation is no longer a guarantee that the oil will be appetizing and of a high quality.

 

The quality of an oil suffers greatly from certain harsh processing methods: for example, when the olives are harvested by machines, giant compressors rip the olives from the trees. No sorting or classifying takes place – the olives are sent to large-scale plants and kneaded into a viscous pulp. Chlorinated solvents are sometimes added, and the oil is spun in a centrifuge and chemically and thermally extracted; it is then bleached, de-acidified and, as needed, deodorized. Under EU standards, the resulting product is still allowed to be labelled "extra virgin".

 

 

History

A path lined with olive trees on the route to Nomia, as described by Pausanius. (Click picture to enlarge)

Olive trees have been grown since antiquity and have had a lasting cultural impact ever since. Olive oil is even mentioned on ancient Egyptian documents. In Homerian Greece, the olive tree was highly appreciated and treated with great reverence. In 300 A.C.E., Roman traveller Pausanius described the olive groves of Laconia along his route from Krokees to Nomia, which is where Lakudia oils are made.

 

 

 

 

 

INSIDE INFORMATION

	Our olive groves are situated directly on the coast, and as a result the trees benefit from the salty sea breezes. (Click picture to enlarge!)

The geographic location and the economic and social infrastructure of the area mean that only a few of the pure and high-quality oils described above actually make their way to consumers outside the region.

The reason for this is that the  top-quality oils from the region of Laconia are in high demand among neighbouring countries. They are purchased in great quantities to blend with lower-quality oils so that an acid level of less than 1% can be attained.

 

 

HEALTH

The fatty acids that are most prevalent in olive oil are unsaturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the blood and can lower the body's overall cholesterol levels. A mere spoonful or two of olive oil can help purify blood and lower blood pressure.

Olive oil cleanses the bile ducts, liver and intestines; it flushes out toxins and helps young children's bones to grow. Rubbing olive oil into the skin can help with all kinds of rheumatic diseases, infections and skin problems. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in chlorophyll, carotene, lecithin, polyphenols and Vitamins A, D and E.

 

 

For further information

 Olive Oil - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0597841365/qid=1106206650/sr=1-48/ref=sr_1_48/104-8709983-3900720?v=glance&s=books