Lakonía Greek Kalamata Olives

Our Homemade Family Brine

Storage and Instructions 

An Essential Mediterranean Ingredient

A Greek Meze

Kalamata, Home of the Kalamon Tree

Health Benefits

Kalamata Olive Facts

 

Lakonía Greek Kalamata Olives

Greece is well known for producing the world’s finest olives. The Greek city of Kalamata is home to the famous ‘Kalamata’ olive variety, also known as ‘Calamon’. This variety grows in small regions of the southern Peloponnese Peninsula. Our Kalamon trees thrive in optimal growing conditions with a microclimate ideally suited for the cultivation of premium olives. Our groves are located along the sun-drenched mountainous coast of Lakonía, just east of Kalamata. The olives are carefully handpicked and selected at peak ripeness, usually in early December. These full-bodied Kalamata olives are naturally cultivated and cured, just as they were centuries ago, without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or additives. Lakonía’s olives faithfully reflect the unique characteristics and traditions of Greece’s Peloponnese Peninsula, and deliver a genuine, delicious taste you are sure to savor 

Photo by Kirk Kennedy

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Our Homemade Family Brine  

 Following the harvest, our olives are shipped from Greece to our Lakonía headquarters in Saco Maine, where we pack them in our own family’s gluten-free brine recipe. A good olive should be firm and its flavor should never compete with the taste of the brine. Lakonía’s recipe contains less salt than most brine, so the delicate flavor of the olive fruit is complimented, not compromised. The recipe consists of water, apple cider vinegar, salt, and Dáfni Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Our brine recipe ensures that Lakonía Greek Kalamata Olives retain their unique fresh flavor.

The brine is an ideal topping for breads, salads, and vegetables. Many of our customers also use it as a marinade. Much time and effort go into making our Kalamata olives perfect in flavor and we take the extra step to make sure we achieve the same level of quality with every batch. During the curing period, the olives are periodically taste tested and the recipe may be adjusted due to the variations that may occur in a particular batch. It is essential to package our olives at peak flavor, and we do so in small batches to ensure freshness and maximum shelf life

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Storage and Instructions 

 Store the olives in a cool, dark place. The shelf life before opening is two years. After opening, they should be refrigerated, and consumed within a year. Kalamata olives are best served at room temperature, enhancing the olive’s natural flavor. We add a layer of Dáfni Extra Virgin Olive Oil to seal out air and preserve freshness. The oil will temporarily congeal when cooled but return to its natural state at room temperature. The particles found in the brine are normal. Our olives are not pitted. The stone is the “Heart of the olive,” says Daphne, founder of Lakonía Greek Products

Photo by Kirk Kennedy

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An Essential Mediterranean Ingredient

 Store the olives in a cool, dark place. The shelf life before opening is two years. After opening, they should be refrigerated, and consumed within a year. Kalamata olives are best served at room temperature, enhancing the olive’s natural flavor. We add a layer of Dáfni Extra Virgin Olive Oil to seal out air and preserve freshness. The oil will temporarily congeal when cooled but return to its natural state at room temperature. The particles found in the brine are normal. Our olives are not pitted. The stone is the “Heart of the olive,” says Daphne, founder of Lakonía Greek Products

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The Greek Meze 

In Greece it is a tradition to use Kalamata olives as a Greek meze. A meze is not a meal course like an appetizer, but rather a dish that may be hot or cold, savory or spicy and often salty. It is served alone or with other mezethes as a separate eating experience. There are a couple purposes of the meze; it provides the setting for a social gathering, and most importantly to enhance and compliment the taste of a drink, whether it’s ouzo, wine or raki. It is very common for family or friends to gather for some mezethes where they can enjoy several of these delicious dishes over a drink and conversation. The mezethes are shared by all at the table, provide a pleasant variety of flavors, and contribute to a cheerful, almost noisy ambiance, which Greeks are known for.

Mezethes are great choices for buffet meals and parties. A bowl of Kalamata olives served with cheese, wine and sliced meats are sure to please. Drizzling olive oil and wild Greek oregano over the olives adds a nice finishing touch. They are a great addition to compliment hors d’oeuvres or vegetable platters

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Kalamata, Home to the Kalamon Tree

The second largest city of the Peloponnese in Southern Greece is Kalamata, home of the succulent Kalamata olive. It lies along the banks of the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf, and is the capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture. Olives and olive oil are the primary agricultural products exported from Kalamata. The city is located near the ancient city of Pharai, mentioned by Homer, and is about 238 km southwest of Athens. Kalamata is also renowned as the land of the Kalamatianos dance with the silk kerchief, honey-eyed figs, and the honey-covered sesame sweet called pasteli, one of the many Greek products we carry. The Taygetos mountain range is located about 4 km east of Kalamata, where our wild oregano and mountain tea flourishes. Olives grown in the climate and topography of Kalamata and its surrounding area, including the Lakonía region, attain a flavor and richness which cannot be duplicated.

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Health Benefits

Lakonia’s Kalamata olives are flavorful, all natural, and nutritious. Greek olives have been a basic component of the Mediterranean diet for thousands of years. Greeks are attracted to fresh, light, and nourishing food. They consider olives to be a necessary daily nutrient. Olives are low in calories, high in iron and calcium, and high in vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. Kalamata olives contain amino acids and specific unsaturated fatty acids that are essential to human nutrition. Research in the U.S. and Europe show that mono-unsaturated fatty acids, present in olives, can help fight heart disease by lowering the level of LDL cholesterol (the “bad cholesterol”), and  by maintaining intact HDL cholesterol, which is beneficial in decreasing the risk of clogged arteries. In fact no other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of mono-unsaturated fat as olive oil. Seventy-five percent of the oil in an olive is oleic acid which is a mono-unsaturated fat.

Olives are a great choice for a low-calorie snack or recipe ingredient. They add flavor and variety with only 7 calories per extra large olive. One serving of olives (3) contains only 3% of recommended daily fat intake. Olives can help reduce symptoms of Lyme Disease, Athlete's Foot, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. They have anti-inflammatory properties and have been documented to reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Olives contain substances called polyphenols that are believed to help ward off cancer. Polyphenols give the olive its taste and arom

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Kalamata Olive Facts

The Kalamata olive is smooth, dark in color, and almond shaped that ranges in length from about 1⁄2 to 1 inch. Plump and juicy, the olive offers an earthy, powerful flavor. However, fresh olives that are unprocessed are actually inedible because of their extreme bitterness. This bitterness is due to the glycoside content, which is neutralized while the olives are cured in salt water brine. This olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar to a peach or plum. Within the stone of each olive are one or two seeds.

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Photo by Kirt Kennedy