When the Language Tastes of Olive Oil: Greece’s Liquid Gold

In Greece, olive oil is affectionately called “to igro chrysafi” – the liquid gold. But the real power of this oil shows itself not only on the plate, but in the language itself.

When Greeks want to say that someone has smoothly handled a tricky situation – calmed down an official, solved a problem with a bit of finesse – they say: “To ladose.” Literally: “He oiled it.” The expression comes straight from the kitchen: just as a squeaky hinge suddenly glides silently after a drop of oil, human friction, too, glides smoothly once someone “oils” it – with a smile, a favour, sometimes with… well, we’ll leave that one there.

This linguistic root is no accident. Over 2,500 years ago, the Athenian statesman Solon passed laws protecting olive trees – anyone who cut one down was punished. At the ancient Olympic Games, athletes were rubbed with olive oil, and winners received a wreath of olive branches, not gold. Oil was worth more than any metal: people paid taxes with it, stored it in amphorae like treasure, and even today, in some Greek villages, particularly wealthy families are jokingly called “ladatoi” – “the oiled ones.”

This reverence shows in the kitchen too. “Ladera” is the name for the classic Greek vegetable dishes slowly braised in plenty of olive oil – not despite the generous amount of oil, but because of it, since that’s exactly what gives the dish its soul. A Greek cook who skimps on oil isn’t seen as frugal, but as someone who still owes the dish something.

At Mastiha, we do it the same way: generously, never sparingly. Whether over the Horiatiki salad, the grilled aubergines, or the freshly baked bread – a good drizzle of cold-pressed olive oil isn’t decoration for us, it’s a statement: we meant it well by you.

Come by and taste it for yourself – and don’t forget: only 4 more days until our Drachma Festival on Tuesday, 29 September! And starting 4 October we’re taking a short break – we’ll be closed for our annual holiday from 4 to 15 October, and look forward to welcoming you back from Friday, 16 October.