As winter settles in, now is the perfect time to bring comforting Mediterranean flavors to your menu. While hearty soups and stews remain staples, incorporating vibrant, nutrient-rich ingredients can brighten your offerings during these colder months. Greek cuisine, with its emphasis on fresh, simple, and flavorful components, offers the perfect inspiration. From tangy feta to fruity olives and zesty olive oils, these staples are excellent for creating versatile dishes that evoke a touch of sunshine.
Our favorite Greek imports are D.O.P. Kalamata olives and olive oils – read on to learn more about them.

What Makes a Kalamata Olive Truly a Kalamata Olive?
Kalamata olives are easily recognized by their pointy, almond shape and striking purple-black color. Their flesh is tender and meaty, with a distinctive olive and wine flavor. But not all olives labeled “Kalamata” are authentic. True Kalamata olives come exclusively from the Peloponnese region in southern Greece. Like many European food specialties, they benefit from a D.O.P. (Protected Designation of Origin) certification given by the European Union. This guarantees that only olives from the Kalamata cultivar grown in a tight region around the town of Kalamata can be called “Kalamata”. Non-DOP versions exist – you will find them commercialized under names such as Kalamon or Calamat.

Harvesting and Brine Curing
Unlike many olive varieties which are harvested when green, Kalamata olives are picked once they are perfectly ripe, in December. At this stage, they are more fragile and need to be picked by hand in order not to be bruised. The olives are then brine-cured: this traditional method involves soaking the just-picked olives in vats of salty brine. The liquid is changed on a regular basis, until the olives are tender & no longer bitter. The process can take up to 12 months, during which time the olives undergo a lactic acid fermentation. Spices and flavorings can be added to the brine – for example, the delicious Kalamata olives owe their winey flavor to the addition of red wine vinegar to their brine.
What about D.O.P. Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
Here’s where it gets tricky: Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil … is not made with Kalamata olives! The word “Kalamata” here refers to the region, not the olive type. Kalamata EVOO is made with a small green olive called Koroneiki.
Our favorite Greek oil is produced by Iliada. Their D.O.P. Kalamata EVOOs are made with 100% fully traceable, unripe Koroneiki olives, cold-extracted within 24 hours from picking to preserve its vibrant flavors. Iliada’s oils offer a medium fruitiness, with notes of green fruit, artichoke, and freshly cut grass. Their balanced bitterness and rich, full-bodied texture make them perfect for enhancing a variety of dishes. Plus, their new squeeze bottles make it easier than ever to drizzle, pour, and enjoy.
Iliada gives us a sneak peak into their process:

How to use these beautiful products?
As simple as it gets: Horiatiki, an authentic Greek Salad.

Recipe:
In a small bowl, whisk 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar and 1/4 tsp greek dried oregano. Salt to taste. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup Iliada olive oil and set aside.
In a shallow serving bowl, arrange: 1 Lb. tomatoes, cut in wedges, 1 sliced cucumber and 1 sliced bell pepper.
Add on top: 3/4 cup Iliada Kalamata olives, 1 Tbsp. capers and red onions slices (from half an onion). Drizzle about half the dressing evenly over the salad.
Place a 6oz. plank of feta on top of the salad and drizzle with additional dressing to taste. Serve at room temperature.
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