How olive oil explains Greece’s problems

The hills of Kalamata, on the southern coast of Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, produce some of the best olives in the world. When pressed, they produce an oil that is almost fluorescent green and sometimes described as “liquid gold.” But after much of that oil is pressed in Greek processing facilities, tanker trucks come to take it straight to the sea. In 2012, 60% of Greece’s olive oil output was shipped to Italy.