Olive Oil: Good Taste, Long Life

 (GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Greek olive oil received complimentary reviews at the International Conference on excellence in olive oil (“Beyond Extra Virgin” , June 21-23) sponsored by the Culinary Institute of America, together with the University of California at Davis.   The event – the largest conference on olive-oil excellence ever held in North America – explored the best production practices, sensory qualities, and culinary possibilities for the olive oil.  The olive oil industry was represented by the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board and its “Kerasma” project, which selected varieties from the island of Crete and the Peloponnese for this occasion.  Within the framework of the conference, a special event titled “Olive Oil and the Healthy Greek Kitchen” was organised especially for the presentation of case studies associating Greek culinary insight with wellness.  Kerasma: Olive & Olive Oil; Greek News Agenda: Mediterranean Diet- Panel Discussion in New York & Academic Research on Nutrition; Greek Mediterranean Gastronomy: Greek Olives: A Culinary Continuum

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Visit Greece: The Mani Region

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    The Mani region of the Peloponnese is characterised by grey rocky mountains. With fertile land scarce, blood-feuds were a way of life, so families constructed towers to use as refuges. In the Diros caves, once inhabited by Neolithic people, visitors are taken on a boat trip along the subterranean river through narrow tunnels and immense caverns filled with clusters of stalactites and stalagmites. “Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese” by Patrick Leigh Fermor is part travelogue, part evocation of the past and a glorious fusion of imagination and history by one of the greatest of Greece’s philhellene writers. Fermor’s account of his journey through Mani peninsula, an inspiring and untouched region of the Peloponnese, unlocks the secrets of the local people and culture whose roots stretch back to Byzantium. Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor, is a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Battle of Crete during World War II. He is considered as one of the world’s great travel writers. The Mani Peninsula attracts visitors for its magnificent castles, stunning scenery, and superb beaches. Mani is also known for unique culinary products and what is probably the world’s best extra-virgin olive oil. Webguide: www.maniguide.info