Tsounati
The cold-hardy upland counterweight to Koroneiki, and an ancient variety in the literal sense — the IOC notes thousand-year-old Tsounati trees on Crete that are still in production. It holds 15 to 20% of Greece’s olive area.
In the grove
Tsounati is known as Athinolia in Laconia and the southern Peloponnese and as Mastoidis on Crete — three names for one variety. It grows at altitude, up to around a thousand metres, and is dual-purpose: oil, plus green-pickled and salted black table olives. Oil content is described as high, with a Greek agronomic source giving 20 to 30%.
The tree is of medium vigour with an upright habit, roots moderately, and yields medium crops in alternate years. Its strength is cold resistance; it is moderate on drought and salinity. It is susceptible to leaf spot, olive fly and Verticillium. Despite receiving far less commercial attention than Koroneiki, its phenolic range in Cretan surveys runs to the top of the Greek distribution.
Compared with the other reference cultivars
| Cultivar | Origin | Typical polyphenols | Sensory profile | Best pairing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsounati | Crete and the Peloponnese, Greece | 173–641 mg/kg | Not published from a primary source | Cretan cooking — pulses, wild greens, rusks |
| 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 |
| Manaki | Central Greece | Not published | Mild and fruity, apple and tomato | Steamed greens, fresh cheese, delicate fish |
| 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.