If you do not want to return home from your vacation in Cyprus empty-handed, then one of the best gifts for yourself and your loved ones will be olive oil. Cyprus is one of those countries that grows olive trees and produces oils at the highest level.
The best and natural oil is very expensive, but if you decide to buy a real product, you will definitely not waste your money and buy not a substitute. The real and best oil of Cyprus can be found in the villages of the island in the oil mills. The harvest of olives is brought here, here you can watch the process of pressing yourself, having a pleasant time with a cup of local coffee or a glass of chic Cypriot wine.
For the correct choice of olives, and, accordingly, for obtaining the best quality oil, it is important to know a few points. For example, small fruits contain much more oil, but the process of collecting them is more laborious, which means the oil will be more expensive. Ripe fruits are black-purple in color, they also contain more oil, but it is from unripe olives that the oil is more aromatic.
Of those oils that you find on the shelves of Cyprus, you also need to choose the best. The most useful and aromatic is considered to be extra virgin olive oil, which is produced during mechanical processing. Olives for this oil must necessarily be harvested by hand and sent for processing immediately after collection. The oil produced in this way contains a large amount of antioxidants that affect the lowering of blood sugar levels, improve the functioning of blood vessels and the heart, as well as the digestion process.
The second quality is considered to be virgin olive oil with a low acidity level (2%). Next in terms of quality are olive oil and pure olive oil, which are refined oils, which in one way or another leads to the loss of a number of useful properties and substances.
If you want to buy oil exclusively for cooking at elevated temperatures, then you can buy a cheaper one, made with the addition of organic mixtures. Such a valuable grade of oil, which is produced in the Stavrovouni monastery and in a number of other places, stands apart. The peculiarity of this oil is the use of olives grown without the use of chemicals.
If we talk about the prices for the mentioned types of oil, then, for example, at oil mills from October to March a liter of oil will cost 5 euros, in stores in the country, depending on the category, the price starts from 6-8 euros and above.