Deana Kartsagouli
A series of interactive events at the Pagrati based museum guided by the renowned chef Aristotelis Megoulas and inspired by Vincent Van Gogh
The glasses have been filled and set on the table. Each one placed in front of its corresponding bottle, carefully selected only from the finest labels, representative of the various interesting and diverse terroirs from around Greece. Everything is ready for another tasting organized at the B&E Goulandris Foundation in Pagrati and no, we are not talking about wine. It is rather the more humble, sometimes overlooked in terms of its gastronomic status, olive oil that is at the epicenter of the events that the Foundation organizes in collaboration with Corfu-based chef Aristotelis Megoulas at the Museum’s Cafe-Restaurant entitled “The olive tree is like Delacroix”. And, due to their success and high demand by non-Greek-speaking prospective participants, on Thursday, February 20th there will be a special event held in English.
“They are not technical, nor highly specialized, but aimed at the general public”, the chef will say of the events. “Their purpose is to help people appreciate olive oil, to value the effort involved in bringing it to us, the producer’s toil, artistry, and dedication. We talk about distribution and the unique characteristics of each variety, presenting the lesser-known and certainly undervalued Greek varieties, because in Greece we have never really embraced a culture that takes into consideration the diversity of olive oil; for most of us, it is simply ‘oil’, which is a very poor understanding”.
Inspired by Van Gogh
On the first floor of the B&E Goulandris Foundation among other masterpieces one can admire Vincent Van Gogh’s painting entitled “Olive Picking” (1853-1890) painted during the artist’s stay at St. Remy de Provence’s psychiatric clinic in France. The olive trees inspired him so much that he even wrote about them to his brother: “The olive trees are very characteristic, and I’m struggling to capture that. It’s silver, sometimes more blue, sometimes greenish, bronzed, whitening on ground that is yellow, pink, purplish or orangish to dull red ochre. But very difficult, very difficult. But that suits me and attracts me to work fully in gold or silver”, concluding “But the olive tree is something else, it is, if you want to compare it to something, like Delacroix”.
It is from this excerpt of the letter and of course from the painting that the people of the museum were motivated to do something involving olive oil. The intention was there but the idea needed some time to take its final and complete form.
That happened, as Chef Megoulas explained, during their visit to Corfu and his restaurant, “Pomo d’ Oro”: “The project began when a team from the museum visited my restaurant for a different event. They had an idea to create something gastronomic connected to an artwork but hadn’t yet found a way to implement it. When they met me and heard my passionate monologue about Corfian olive oil, the concept was born. They asked if I would be interested in collaborating, and during a brief phone call, the project took shape. They gave me full creative freedom—to contact producers, select the olive oils, and shape the event as I saw fit. This deeply moved me”.
From the French olive groves to the Greek olive oil
Art, practicality and higher knowledge are combined in this interactive event that focuses on educating participants on every aspect of olive oil: culture, gastronomy, health, economy, know-how. We see, for example, how the production of olive oil fuels creativity, customs and traditions all over Greece, its role today and how it will change in the future, especially due to the climate crisis. Also, chef Aristotelis Megoulas shows participants how to identify high-quality olive oil based on its characteristics.
One of the most important parts of the events is tasting award-winning olive oil varieties from different parts of Greece, along with fresh sourdough bread baked in a wood-fired oven from the AKRA restaurant as well as freshly-baked, gluten-free loaves of bread from the Asterisque bakery. Participants will have the opportunity to meet a Greek olive oil producer and taste a unique dish prepared by the chef that highlights the olive oil’s distinctive flavour.
At the end of the session, they will take home a sample of the featured producer’s olive oil, the month’s recipe, and a specially chosen surprise gift inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s “Olive Picking”. They can also join the event’s mailing list to receive the chef’s new recipes each month, gradually completing a unique recipe booklet dedicated to olive oil.
“What has moved me the most”, says the chef, “is the audience’s response. Initially, I feared that it might be too technical for the general public, but the turnout has been incredibly diverse. Our goal is to highlight the different uses of olive oil—some oils are better for frying, others for salads. Olive oil has many roles: it is not just a cooking fat but also a seasoning, an essential culinary ingredient. If we can succeed in changing how people perceive and use olive oil, then this initiative will have made a real impact”.
On Thursday February 20, the popular olive oil tasting event “The olive tree is like Delacroix” that the B&E Goulandris Foundation is organising in collaboration with chef Aristotelis Megoulas, will be held in English at the Museum’s Café-Restaurant. Find out more here.
