Double Epiphany! Gold-pressed olive oil from Crete and "maniac" Greek honey
These latest gourmet Hellenic discoveries unofficially come as a set
We have discovered a pair of Greek delicacies that should be flying off the shelves of your nearest Whole Foods, Waitrose or wherever: the first is a cold-extraction Extra Virgin olive oil that’s the succulent fruit of a production collab between the Toplou Monastery in Sitia, Crete and Bio-Sitia S.A. So cold-pressed yes, but it tastes so exceptionally good (and with a bottle that doesn’t look half-bad either) that we’re christening it gold-pressed olive oil. And not without some serious botanical backing: the Koroneiki olives used here are known for their golden-green color. Read more about the monastery and its magical olive groves here.
The second epiphany or revelation…wait, which one of those is a Greek word?
…guess it’s epiphany. Anyway, it’s a certain honey. While we are unapologetically partial to Cretan honey, in this instance we are making an exception. Thank Mani for that—the wild region on the southernmost flank of the Peloponnese that’s famous for its Greek revolutionary spirit. If you come from Mani does it make you a maniac? Not sure, but we do get the word maniac from the Greek maniakos, and as noted, when we say revolutionary spirit we mean it, as did Mani’s rebellious, Turk-slaying ancestors. From Mani comes a particularly dulcet honey, and that’s not only on account of the taste, but the texture: less thick than many of its Greek counterparts, which makes it easier to dispense and a great candidate for cooking.
Learn more about Mani Honey (in Greek) here.