oil presses Greece

... by the rotating stones. Long ago, the rotation of the stones was powered by animals, usually donkeys or horses, and later by mechanical means. When the paste was ready (at the discretion of the responsible parties), it was transferred to special bags called mutafias or tsolias. These were placed in a press with a screw, commonly known as a 'screw', which pressed them, thus extracting the oil. The screw was rotated manually. Later, hydraulic presses were used.