OLIVE HISTORY

Liquid gold, magical, medicinal, spiritual – olive oil has been much more than food to the people of the Mediterranean. Olive oil and olive trees have symbolized, since the beginning of time, abundance, peace, glory, benediction, purification, and honor.

The newfound fascination and praise for a Mediterranean Diet isn’t all that new after all. It just took the rest of the world 6,000 years to recognize the health benefits of olives and olive oils!

The Olive was native to Asia Minor, spreading from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean. It’s one of the oldest known domesticated crops; imagine that its seeds were planted before writing was even invented.

By 3000 BC, the Olive became the principle crop of the Minoan Kingdom (and perhaps was one of the reasons for its wealth). The Phoenicians took the olive to Africa and Southern Europe then spread to the early Greeks and Romans. Romans extended their rule over the world at that time and the olive was spread with them!

Over time, the olive and olive oil became integral parts of culture, tradition, and religious ceremonies. Muhammad advised his followers to spread olive oil on their bodies. During Christian baptisms, olive oil is often used for anointment. Early Greek and Jewish Kings were anointed with olive oil as well as the dead of many other cultures. Olive crowns and branches were even found in King Tut’s tomb.

The fact that olive trees are almost immortal, with colossal resistance to harsh elements, probably helped bolster the belief that olive oil gave strength and youth to those who consumed it. In Egypt, Greece, and Rome, olive oil was mixed with flowers and herbs to make perfumes, medicines, and cosmetics.

If you visit Jerusalem, be certain to visit the 2,000-year-old olive trees found on the Mount of Olives. Because the olive tree has been domesticated, manipulated, and evolved over time, these trees don’t resemble any of our modern-day olive crops. It’s hard to determine which varieties come from which trees, and since the olive has been so widespread throughout the Mediterranean, Africa, and Europe, it developed differently with different names all over the place! It’s more difficult to trace the lineage of olive trees than most family genealogies!

The Olive tree is a relative newcomer to the New World. It has spread to the Americas, Japan, New Zealand and Australia in the past few centuries. But one of the countries with the longest tradition of the olive and olive oil is Spain. Let’s take a closer look!