Culinary History Monte's Ham Archives • C H E W I N G T H E F A T

When a recipe calls for “Good Olive Oil” home cooks can be forgiven for wondering whether theirs is good enough. After all, virtually every Mediterranean country touts theirs as being best. And virtually every Mediterranean country produces Olive Oil. But did you know that the 4^th largest Olive Oil producer in the world is Turkey? And it’s Turkey that Heraclea calls home. Beautifully bottled in white, Heraclea Early Harvest is perfect for dips, finishing and drizzling on just about everything! And in black Heraclea Mature Harvest is ideal for roasting, pan-frying, baking and marinating. Now that’s what I call “Good Olive Oil”!

“Legend has it that Selene, the goddess of the Moon, descended to this site to meet her lover, a mortal named Endymion and Zeus put Endymion in an eternal sleep beneath an olive tree on Mount Latmos to immortalize this love”. This love story inspired the Heraclea people to create their olive oil. They revered the olive tree. And they combined ancient olive oil cultivation methods with the latest in sustainable production techniques to create the award-winning olive oil they named Heraclea.

The hallmarks of Heraclea are the way is it grown, how it is created and how it is enjoyed around the table. Sustainable agricultural practices mean that under no circumstances will Heraclea ever use anything artificial to increase the number of olives a tree produces. No fertilizers! No artificial irrigation! Their olive groves span over 100 acres. In season, 50 men and women work in the olive groves with great pride and great care. All to introduce you to their Aegean way of life: Big tables surrounded by family and friends, laughter and delicious food cooked with Olive Oil.