When the First Olive Oil Comes Out in November
Every year, during these November days, something like an informal opening ceremony of the new olive harvest takes place in Laconia. As soon as the first olive oil comes out of the mill, in the evening —after a tiring day’s work in the olive grove— when we return home, we open a little wine, usually of the Kydonitsa variety, an excellent grape cultivated in the region of Monemvasia. Alongside it, we put olives, the fresh olive oil, and bread on the table, just as you see in the photo. It is the ideal way to unwind and, at the same time, a confirmation that the year’s hard work has paid off.
This small ritual is not merely a gastronomic pleasure; it is a way of measuring time again through the cycle of the earth and our labour. The aroma of the fresh oil, its sharpness, the warm bread absorbing it like a sponge — all of this creates a moment that...
