🫒 Tsounati

Tsounati is an old Greek olive variety grown mainly for its oil. It is found mostly in western Crete and the southern Peloponnese and covers 15–20 per cent of Greece's olive land. It is also known as Athinolia and Mastoidis.

In Crete there are Tsounati trees that are thousands of years old and still bear fruit. Among them is the famous Olive Tree of Vouves: it was grafted with this very variety long ago, so it gives Tsounati olives.

The fruit is medium-sized, moderately elongated, with a clearly pointed tip, and dark purple when ripe. It is very rich in oil, and the oil is of excellent quality. Part of the crop is cured to make green olives and salted black olives.

The tree does not start bearing straight away, and its crop is medium and alternates from year to year. Tsounati is not afraid of cold and copes moderately with a dry climate and slightly salty soil. Olive knot rarely affects it, but the variety is sensitive to leaf spot, the olive fly and verticillium wilt.