Greek Olives & Capers: A Guide to the Mediterranean Pantry Essentials

The Olive: Symbol and Sustenance

The olive tree is not just a crop in Greece. It's a cultural symbol so deep that it predates written history. According to myth, Athena won the patronage of Athens by gifting the city an olive tree — a gift judged more valuable than Poseidon's offering of a saltwater spring.

There are olive trees in Greece estimated to be over 3,000 years old — still producing fruit. The tree that supposedly grew on the Acropolis at Athena's command was said to have resprouted after the Persians burned Athens in 480 BCE. The olive tree endures.

And so does the olive in Greek cooking. It's not a garnish or an appetizer. It's a constant presence — on the breakfast table, in the lunchtime salad, alongside dinner, and as a snack with bread and cheese. Greeks consume roughly 6 kg of table olives per person annually.

Greek Olive Varieties

Kalamata Olives

The most famous Greek olive — and arguably the most famous olive in the world. Named after the city of Kalamata in Messenia (the same region where EVGE's olive groves are located), these are large, almond-shaped, dark purple olives with a rich, fruity, slightly smoky flavor.

True Kalamata olives are a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product — they must come from the Kalamata region and be of the Kalamon variety. They're typically cured in red wine vinegar and olive oil, which gives them their distinctive taste.

Our Kalamata olives come from Messenia — the real thing, not the generic "Kalamata-style" olives found in most supermarkets.

Throumba Olives

A unique variety — these olives cure themselves on the tree. Left to fully ripen until they wrinkle and darken naturally, they're then simply harvested and salted. The result is a soft, wrinkled, intensely flavored olive with a meatiness that's unlike any other variety. Thassos, in northern Greece, is famous for its throumba olives.

Green Olives (Halkidiki)

Large, pale green, mild, and buttery. Halkidiki olives from northern Greece are often stuffed with peppers, almonds, or garlic. They're milder than Kalamata — perfect for people who find dark olives too intense.

Amfissa Olives

From the olive groves surrounding Delphi. Round, fleshy, with a mild and slightly sweet flavor. They come in both green and purple-black, depending on when they're harvested.

Cretan Olives (Tsounati)

Small, dark olives with an intense, slightly bitter flavor. Cretans eat them with everything — and Crete has the highest olive oil consumption in Greece (which is saying something).

How Greeks Eat Olives

In Greece, olives are not relegated to a cocktail or a pizza topping. They're a fundamental part of daily eating:

• Breakfast: A small bowl of olives with bread, feta, tomatoes, and olive oil — the classic Greek breakfast
• Greek salad: No horiatiki is complete without Kalamata olives
• Meze: Olives are always on the meze table alongside cheese, bread, and dips
• Cooking: Added to stews, baked fish, braised chicken, and pasta dishes
• Snacking: A handful of olives is a traditional afternoon snack — far better than anything from a package

Capers: The Mediterranean Jewel

Capers are the unopened flower buds of the Capparis spinosa plant, which grows wild across the Mediterranean — clinging to stone walls, cliff faces, and dry, rocky ground where almost nothing else will grow.

In Greece, capers have been gathered from the wild for millennia. The islands of Santorini, Sifnos, and Syros are particularly famous for their capers, where the volcanic or rocky soil produces buds with exceptional intensity.

Capers vs. Caper Berries

If you let a caper bud bloom and produce fruit, you get a caper berry — a larger, seed-filled fruit with a milder flavor and pleasantly crunchy texture. Both are delicious but used differently:

• Capers (buds): Intense, punchy — chop into sauces, sprinkle over fish, mix into dressings
• Caper berries (fruit): Milder, meatier — eat whole as part of a meze spread, or serve alongside olives and cheese

How Greeks Use Capers

• Santorini fava: The classic split pea puree is always topped with capers, raw onion, and olive oil
• Fish dishes: Capers are a natural partner for fish — their brininess echoes the sea
• Salads: Scattered over tomato salads, potato salads, or greens
• Caper leaves: In some regions, the leaves of the caper plant are also pickled and eaten — tangy and delicious

Explore our olive and caper collection for authentic Greek varieties.

Fruit Powders: A Modern Greek Innovation

Our collection also includes real fruit powders — freeze-dried Greek fruits ground into vibrant, concentrated powder. These are 100% fruit with no added sugar, preservatives, or fillers.

Use them in:

• Smoothies and yogurt bowls
• Baking — natural color and flavor for cakes, cookies, and icings
• Homemade granola or energy balls
• Cocktails and beverages

Building Your Mediterranean Pantry

A jar of good olives and a jar of capers in your pantry transform simple cooking. A piece of fish becomes a Greek meal when you add olives, capers, tomatoes, and olive oil. A salad becomes satisfying. Bread and cheese becomes a feast.

Pair them with EVGE olive oil and vinegars, Greek herbs and legumes, and you have the foundation of a Greek Mediterranean kitchen.