Manaki
Chemically the opposite pole from Koroneiki: the lowest oleic acid and the highest linoleic of the four widely studied Greek cultivars. It is also a high-altitude variety, hardy to cold and wind, grown up to a thousand metres.
In the grove
Manaki is grown around Amfissa, Delphi, Itea, Arachova, Lamia, Kynouria, Ermioni and Poros, on ground rising to a thousand metres. The tree is hardy to cold and wind, carries small fruit of 2.2 to 2.9 grams, and is reported to bear in alternate years. It is often paired in Greek sources with Kothreiki, and whether those are one variety or two is not settled.
The chemistry is what distinguishes it. At around 70% oleic acid with 13.35% linoleic, Manaki sits at the soft end of the Greek spectrum — a profile that would normally predict lower oxidative stability, though no Rancimat measurement has been published to confirm it. Its harvest window is also disputed between Greek sources, which give anything from late October to early February.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manaki | Central Greece | Not published | Mild and fruity, apple and tomato | Steamed greens, fresh cheese, delicate fish |
| Picual | Jaén, Spain | 300–700 mg/kg | Intensely green, clean bitterness, late-building pungency | Tomato salad, grilled vegetables, bread and salt |
| Coratina | Puglia, Italy | 330–410 mg/kg | Powerfully green and herbaceous, strong bitterness and pungency | Bean soups, grilled meat, bitter greens |
| Koroneiki | Messinia, Greece | Around the Greek mean; Cretan surveys 138–441 mg/kg | Green and aromatic, balanced bitterness and pungency | Greek salad, feta, grilled fish, horta |
| Arbequina | Lleida, Spain | 200–230 mg/kg | Soft, sweet entry, barely bitter, light pungency | Fish, salads, baking, mayonnaise |
| Kalamon | Messinia, Greece | Among the highest-mean Greek varieties | Not published for the oil | The olive itself — salads, tapenade, bread |
| Tsounati | Crete and the Peloponnese, Greece | 173–641 mg/kg | Not published from a primary source | Cretan cooking — pulses, wild greens, rusks |
| Megaritiki | Attica, Greece | Not published | Harmonious and sweet-fruity, medium-high bitterness and pungency | Everyday cooking, vegetables, pulses |
Polyphenol figures are the ranges published for each variety, not measurements of any bottle in the library. A single oil's figure depends on when it was picked and how it was milled, and is shown on that oil's own page where the producer states one.