A gluten free diet does not have to limit the kinds of food you eat. All іt hаs tо dо іs limit thе types оf ingredients thаt аrе рut іntо thе foods thаt уоu choose tо eat and it usually requires just a slight modification to recipe to make it gluten-free. This can be achieved with many of the recipes in the Festival of Greek Flavors cookbook. In fact, to be called gluten-free, a recipe must contain no wheat, rye, or barley or other gluten-containing thickeners, gelatins, gum blends or stabilizers – and that often occurs naturally in Greek food! Greek cuisine is rich in whole foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as meat, chicken, or fish, eggs, potatoes or rice, and plenty of fresh vegetables, salad and fruit. Many greek dishes use a simple but wonderful lemon juice and heart-healthy olive oil blend for the marinades and sauces, making dishes light, delicious and naturally worry-free.
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Olive oil is as diverse as wine – it can come from a single grape or a blend; it can vary in color, aroma and flavor; it can come from many different regions all over the world and is sold in many different grades. However, there is one simple characteristic you must know that will help you make sense of all olive oil labels. If only understanding wine could be that easy!

To understand olive oil, you must understand how the oil was obtained from the olive and if it has undergone a mechanical or a chemical process to achieve its flavor, color and acidity.

Virgin olive oil is made with no chemical treatment using solely physical means to extra oil from the olive fruit. Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality of olive oil, because it has the lowest acidity of any olive oil. Extra virgin olive oils vary widely in taste, color and appearance. Note that “extra virgin” may be used without legal restrictions.

Refined olive oil has been chemically treated for taste and acidity, but loses some of its nutritional properties. It has a high acidity level, making it a lower grade olive oil.

An olive oil can be a blend of both virgin and refined olive oils. It is made by taking lower quality refined olive oil and adding virgin olive oil to create a medium grade olive oil. The term olive oil refers to this blend. Thus, “100% Pure Olive Oil” is often the lowest quality available: higher grades would have “virgin” on the label. The term “Pure” does not refer to anything in the production of olive oil and is a widely used but unregulated marketing term.
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